Cloned in the Image of God
by The Righterzpen
Summary: One soldier on a journey to understand the God who created him and the Savior who redeemed him. Sitting with Jesus, he reviews the events of his "life in an army of one" before being welcomed into the celestial city. (Author here - taking a second look. My "odd" story is in the process of being reedited.)
1. Chapter 1

_This is a Bible fan fiction that tells a sci-fi story of an imaginary extension to our own universe. Since the Bible is actually in the public domain, I don't really have to write this disclaimer and since this imaginary universe is of the invention of my own mind; I'm not obligated to disclaim that either. It is fair to say though that elements of my imagined universe contain crosses between Star Wars and Star Trek concepts. _

_Reviews of all sorts are always welcome, but I promise I won't die without them. _

* * *

**CLONED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD**

_**AN ARMY OF ONE**_:

"Shoot him" Commander Blithe Screamed at me as I started chasing San Wan Kandih through the streets of Salam of planet Alphanta. Even though I knew there was no way I'd catch him. "He's a traitor to the Allegiance! You'll never out run him you stupid clone - Shoot him!" He repeated for about the 5th time now.

Light flashes whizzed passed my head as Commander Blithe fired upon me for my disobedience to the orders of the Supreme Commander of the Allegiance to kill all traitors. So I raised my blaster and shot at the street behind San Wan as he began to sprint off. Maybe Commander Blithe would actually believe I was just a bad shot. I hoped; although I knew better. But I couldn't just kill San Wan. He'd saved my life on many occasion and now it was my turn to return the favor; if I could? Even if that meant Commander Blithe shot me. Not like that made much a difference, I'm just a common clone; expendable you know. There's always more where I came from. San Wan though has parents waiting for him back on Savawarh.

I turned the corner and I paused a minute. Much to my surprise San Wan was standing right there. "Go that way." He whispered as he jumped behind the barricade of a burned out house. I stopped next to the wall and glanced over at San Wan huddled in the corner. He peered up at me as I quickly turned around. Where'd Commander Blithe go? I wondered as I ran another 50 feet away, when I heard pounding feet assail the ally. I poised myself as if I was waiting to point out the proper direction to my new Commander. Just as the obedient clone soldier I was suppose to be.

"He's hiding down there!" I motioned to Commander Blithe as we ran down another ally in the opposite direction of San Wan. When we came to the end of this ally too; we looked up and down the deserted streets. "We lost him Sir." I announced as I looked behind me. "Shall I go this way?" I asked, awaiting the order. Commander Blithe looked at me, as if he didn't believe me. He raised his weapon and pointed it at me. "Aardatians can run three times faster than... clones." I said dryly pointing out the obvious. It was one tense moment and I'd hoped he hadn't caught onto my deception, before he lowered his weapon and raised his hand to dismiss me.

I turned and ran back in the direction I'd last seen San Wan, and hoped no-one else had shot him. I ran past the wall and San Wan was gone. Good bye dear friend; may I never find your body if you didn't make it. God be with you! I thought to myself as I kept on running. Could God be with me? A stupid worthless clone? I wondered as I could feel the sting well up in my eyes. I must have not been paying attention to where I was going, when I felt a sudden piercing jolt and fell down a hole.

My blaster flew out of my hands and I felt like I was falling off a cliff when suddenly I landed in a sand dune. I jumped up in a flash in search of my missing weapon. I'd be in big trouble if I lost another blaster. I panicked as I looked all over for it. Than I suddenly realized this didn't look like Alphanta? Every thing and everyone was gone! Just me and this sand dune. Where am I? I wondered. Several minutes passed when I finally decided that it must be safe here and I sat down to rest. It was warm, but not as hot as some of the other planets I'd been on. I thought a moment as I searched around for my canteen and gulped down a couple of swallows. Where am I? I wondered. Could San Wan be around here somewhere? I must be dreaming!

I sat a long time contemplating what I should do next? I thought about what San Wan would always tell me. "Pretend your not a clone." I chuckled. I don't know why that worked, but it always did. I was sitting happily entertaining the thought of not being a clone, when I heard a voice behind me. "Amornam." It said.

I quickly swung around to see who it was. No-one but San Wan and Katook ever called me that; and that rarely when anyone else was around. San Wan told me it meant "beloved one" in an ancient language he'd once known. Who are you though and how'd you know that name? I sat up staring at one who was like me, but obviously not a clone.

He was wearing a long white garment with an overcoat and a stripped woven cloth wrapped around his head. He looked like some of the desert people of Earth's past history I'd seen in books. Who are you? I wondered as I just sat dumbfounded. I didn't know what to think; or what to say.

"How'd you know my name?" I stammered thoughtlessly as disjointed bits and pieces of Earth's history mixed with the lore of other planets swirled though my mind. I got this creepy feeling that I was suppose to know who this man was; but I couldn't think. He squatted down in front of me.

"Amornam" He said. "Do you remember San Wan and Shiloh talking about a Great Deliver who came to Earth to set captive men free?" Yeah, I nodded. "I'm that Deliver." He whispered.

The words ran though my head as the reality of what he said made me start to shake. "But ...But - I'm only a clone." I protested as the burning feeling in my eyes began to fill them again. "I'm, I'm - Uh - I'm not even really...really human." I whispered. "I was only made to destroy and get destroyed. I–I mean, I just shoot at androids or someone else's clones, pirates, criminals, terrorists; you know, who ever and try not to get killed myself."

The man looked at me and let out a sigh before he sat on the ground next to me. I began wiping my face, trying to gather my dignity (of what little I may have ever possessed to begin with) when the man began to speak again.

"Amornam." He called me that name again. "Do you remember what San Wan or Shiloh or even Sha Wii or any of those people used to say about God being..."

"Love!" I responded though admittedly I was always puzzled by that statement.

"Yes." He smiled kindly. "And what men, or even evil beings meant as a means of doing wickedness." He paused a minute. "As like designing you and a whole army of men like you in order to fight their own wicked wars and cause suffering to millions of innocent creatures across the galaxies." He paused another moment. "God meant for good." "Amornam" He called me that name again. "The Allegiance may think they are the ones that brought you into this world; but you wouldn't be here unless I gave you life. You may share the same DNA with millions of other men, but you are not a science experiment and you are not an accident!"

I sat real quiet for a long long time just glancing around me wondering when this kindly man would suddenly vanish away in a puff of smoke. Gone from my life, just like everyone and every thing I ever cared about. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't come up with the words. The tears just ran down my face.

"Amornam." He said. "I will never leave you or forsake you."

I sat and looked at him for several more very long minutes.

"How do you know?" I stammered in a barely audible voice. He smiled gently.

"It doesn't take Devine revelation to see the loss and desperate loneliness on your face."

I sat quietly for several more long minutes. "Does, does that mean I..I really do have a soul?" I muttered in a quiet whisper remembering the words San Wan once explained to me; that we all do have a soul. Many of us just don't realize it because all we're ever told is that we are just a bunch of clones. A copy, a stamp of someone or something else. We were never really our own.

"Yes." The man's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Every single one of you has a soul. You wouldn't be alive if you didn't. And though other men may have copied the image of someone else's DNA; the very essence of what you are is still created in the image of God. I know that's hard for you to believe right now; but even clones aren't precisely, exactly all the same. You know that from Sha Wii's experiments."

"Yeah, I guess I do." I said as I started to think about all that had happened in the three or four years since I'd left the maturation building as an adult clone - supposedly ready to fight a war.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Military Clone Facility # 16**_

So many questions, my mind started to drift as I pondered how ever many years it really was since I'd first remembered anything. If we'd ever really had any value; why were things always so hard and the realities of life so icy cold.

I remember walking through the sanitized halls of the cloning facility wondering what ever happened to so many of the other little children I'd spent so much time with? One day they were there and than they were gone? And the clones who didn't act right? They'd sit on their legs and rock back and forth and hit themselves. There seemed to be a lot of them in the first facility I was in.

Than one day, all the adult clones came to take those of us who could walk and maybe say a few words. They bundled us up together and put us on a transport to some other planet. I found out years later that all the clones left at the facility on Garr where just exterminated and thrown into mass graves. Life is cheap I guess and mass produced men are disposable. I remember telling San Wan about these earliest memories of mine and asking him if he thought maybe those clones had lost their souls? He said no, losing your mind is not the same as losing your soul. Losing your soul is much worse.

Well the next facility I was sent to was much cleaner, better organized and well maintained. It more resembled the army I came to know in later years. They did things differently in this facility. I remember being assigned a number and spending my nights bundled together with 3 other clones.

When ever it was time to sleep they'd wrap us in these cocoon type blankets and leave us together like that. I guess they realized that if we didn't get close to someone we'd all end up dying. As we progressed from the nursery to various types of barracks; all organized and grouped according to age, we stayed with the same clones. We ate together, slept together, trained together, were schooled together and as we reached adulthood were assigned to the same squadrons.

We had a peculiarity nearly all other non-cloned personal or military units found strikingly awkward. Adult soldiers still slept together; just like we had when we were two and three years old. We also fit quite comfortably into amazingly small spaces. What was considered inadequate housing for most; we seemed to occupy with an uncanny ability to navigate absent of tripping over each other. Also none of us possessed little other than the necessities we'd been issued. So there was little conflict over space.

My second cloning facility was also were we all got named. It became customary as the years passed for the clones to name each other. It was a little more personal than the batch designation followed by a lot number that was inscribed on all the clothing and equipment that became personal possessions of individual clones. The adults named the children and the naming process began when we were about 5 years old.

We bore different names from across the galaxies; some according to personalities, preferred areas of expertise, or just the personal preferences of the adults who had charge of us. Some of us were tenacious enough to insist on naming ourselves. To which the adults would usually just shrug - OK - you're the one who has to live with it for possibly the rest of your life! It also wasn't uncommon for some of us to have two or more names; ones in which only certain people or other clones would call us. It was an honor to be considered special enough to earn a beloved endearment from a close friend.

It also was not uncommon to change names or take on a temporary name for a period of time. Clones who'd lost their batch partner generally would come back from mourning facilities with new names given to them by the new batch partner. The first batch partner one lost was always the hardest. When you've spent your life with someone and they are suddenly not there; it's like leaving half of yourself on the battlefield. So there I was, my first common clone name: Nakahm and my original batch partner: Katook.

* * *

_**The Clone Army Planetary Confederacy**_:

Battalions and Companies were all arranged by age groups and by the time I reached the force; most of the non-cloned military commanders had either retired, been killed or moved on to command non-clone units. We still had a sizable force of auxiliary support officers and staff. Most of them were medical personal, supply coordinators, planetary liaisons, teachers and educational support professionals, researchers or spiritual advisors. San Wan Kandih was such an officer. He held quite a unique position in our Battalion, in that he was a medically trained spiritual advisor.

San Wan lived on planet Savawarh although was originally from Aardat. He was also unique in that his spiritual advisement did not come entirely from the lore or religious beliefs of his own planet, but from an ancient faith on Earth which claimed roots back to the beginning of time. He spoke of a Deliver who came to die in the stead of men to set them free from evil; both their own and the evil propagated against them. A belief system that contained elements of self-sacrifice appealed to most clone soldiers, in that we were called upon to do this all the time.

The problem was, most of us (as well as a lot of other species) didn't believe we really even had a soul; so what would there have been anything worthy to redeem? San Wan though, believed otherwise. He taught us clones that we, just like any other being of cognizant intelligence, possessed an innate essence of being that was above and beyond the common lot base awareness of intelligent design that the creatures of the animal kingdoms possess .

I'd once asked San Wan why he chose to bring these things to us, when he himself wasn't even human. What did he care of what happened to us in eternity, when no-one else seemed too? He'd said that he felt lead by God to come to us.

When he was in college; he'd been looking for a mission God would have him to fulfill and had taken a class about the history of the Clone Army Planetary Confederation. San Wan said he saw a need that we had in which he felt he could be of service to. Service to us? I remember laughing. What "original" wishes to avail their talents to "the copy"? "Repeats", as I'd heard many call us. Unlike most others though; San Wan stuck around, even though the majority of us scoffed at the simple message he offered. After all, who totes religion to a bunch of soulless copies?

Most spiritual advisors who'd come to us actually from Earth, only taught principles of disciplines back on their home planet that fell in the category of what they called "martial arts". Martial arts were certainly useful on a battlefield, but I'd never found any lasting peace in those schools of thought.

San Wan though told me that there was a God, the Supreme Sovereign Creator of this universe that actually cared what happened to me - one single small insignificant clone. A face in a sea of millions who look exactly the same as I do. Could this God who'd created this universe even know I was different from the clone next to me? Even if He knew that - why would He care? Even so, San Wan's words appealed to me and so I went to his studies and discussion groups and listened to his talks. We sang songs in his groups too; which I liked.

I heard what San Wan would tell us about all cognizant intelligent life being created in the image of that same One God; but I certainly had trouble totally grasping it. That seemed fine for species of natural cognizant intelligent life; but I wasn't even that. I was a hybrid humanoid who didn't even really have 100% of my DNA coming from one singular species.

Yeah, most of my genetic make-up was of Earth Species Homo Saipan (as they called themselves on their home world) but I had strands of other species that made up my composition too. The Inter-Planetary Allegiance had been cloning soldiers for nearly the past 700 years and over the course of those years, a lot of experimenting had come to pass that eventually would produce me.

The humanoid hybrid that I was had been in existence for the past 550 to 600 years. The first of our kind was genetically engineered using Savawarhian cloning technology, after it was found that Earth humans were much easier to clone than other species. His original Earth designation was "Adam Squared" He was later affectionately nicknamed "Dolly" though; after the first mammal cloned on Earth - which was a female sheep.

"Dolly" was the host who's basic DNA structure had been taken from other human hosts simply dubbed "Joe", "Chin", "Boris", "Ahmed" "Moses" and so on. All these other original human hosts were similar to each other although not directly related. They spanned the gambit of the best strengths, intelligence, physical characteristics and temperaments of the human populace on planet Earth; or at least what was believed to be "the best".

The Savawarhians took this genetically engineered "Adam Squared" and introduced some DNA sequences that were compatible to humans, but of other planetary cognizant intelligent species. These alien DNA sequences mostly affected things such as sight, hearing, executive ordering function of the brain, agility and ability to memorize.

Other aspects impacted were related to temperament. We aren't easily provoked, angered or annoyed. We are generally cooperative, congenial and obedient. The down side is we are prone to melancholy and minor difficulties with anxiety. The other outcome of mixing all this DNA is that we are all sterile; or at least most of us are. Much to the surprise and/or dismay of some researchers and those with in the Allegiance High Command - it was discovered that there were clones who were indeed not sterile at all! That's another story though.

The Savawarhians had perfected this technology to aid their neighboring planet Aardat in fighting a plague that was threatening to wipe out all cognizant intelligent life on Aardat. The plague was killing off all the Aardatian males, so the Savawarhians helped perfect technology that cloned Aardatian men resistant to the plague. After a couple hundred years; this is how they stabilized the population.

When the Inter-Planetary Allegiance approached Savawarh with the proposition of cloning a standing army, the Savawarhians were ambivalent to the idea; seeing how clone armies of past history suffered great hardship and their soldiers, huge injustices and assaults against their very personhood. When the wars ended; often times soldiers would be sold off to the highest bidders to fight other wars, or be used as laborers in mineral mines, laboratory experiment subjects, slave trade or even criminal activities. It's also said that many clone soldiers of past history were sold into the inter-galactic sex trafficking industry.

So the Savawarhian, Aardatian, Pantori, Venuranton, Sabentan, Jazambane, Minari, Batawanian and Wasawee Planetary High Commands drew up a clone army constitution and bill of rights. They presented it to the Inter-Planetary High Council and said you either ratify this into law and give us nine planets sovereign control over the cloning facilities and lives of the soldiers or we will destroy this technology.

With in the nine planet confederation are checks and balances, that none of these planets take a greater power than the others in the control of this clone army. Not that I've ever known that to be much of an issue, seeing how the nine planets of the confederation bear the same "personality" as this army. They are peaceful places generally filled with cooperative, docile and very intelligent beings. Most of these planets originally only had minimal civil order and practically no crime. Now though, since they contain inter-galactic mixed populations; the criminal laws enforced by the indigenous peoples are usually very strict. All other members of the Inter-Planetary Allegiance are to contribute needed raw materials and space for bases in the maintenance of this military.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Brother Ranakah:**_

Our unique lot in life often came to the puzzlement and even bemusement of the populations of planets we either visited, were stationed near, or even fought on. San Wan lived on Savawarh and I learned to love that planet from the first time he brought Katook and myself there to visit.

San Wan's brother Ranakah took a certain fascination in the fact that Katook and I did just about everything together. "Sequential batch numbers." I heard San Wan explain as Japah, Sentury, Katook and myself were in the other room, trying our hand at a new strategy game. "Clone soldiers have rather habitual mannerisms. It takes some getting used to; but they are very lovable once you get to know them." San Wan chuckled.

"Well, I'd heard about their... unparalleled sleeping arrangements; but I didn't believe it until I walked through the family recreation room and saw the four of them cuddled up on the floor together last night." I heard Ranakah say. "Now I do admit, I pride myself in being the 'understanding/tolerant - ah what ever - Aardatian that I am; but even to me, that was just plain...weird!" Ranakah laughed. "Aren't humans kind of...well - you know! Aren't there issues with that?" I heard him inquire in a hushed voice.

"You mean that thing on Earth they call homosexuality?" San Wan replied as I came walking into their dinning area for something to drink.

"Yeah, Ewww" I saw his brother cringe.

"I know I don't understand that either" San Wan shrugged. "Just like I don't understand how they ever have more than one mate in a lifetime; but humans are very different from we are." San Wan looked up at me and smiled.

"You guys on the other hand." He said as he pointed to me. "I think you actually have Aardatian blood." He chuckled as he slapped me on the arm a few times before he sat down again.

"Hum." Ranakah looked at me and thoughtfully smiled before he turned back to San Wan. "Yeah, that non-reproducing genetic engineering component?" He cocked his head and made a funny face.

"You mean that, hormonal suppression, and behavioral conditioning?" San Wan added. "Even taking reproductive ritual out of the picture; they, like any of the rest of us still need to be touched." San Wan went on to explain as he poured another cup of tea. "Without it, we all die."

"Without what we all die?" Katook inquired as he came into the dinning area after me.

"Being touched, hugged and stuff you know; being close to someone else." I answered.

"Are you lonely!" Katook laughed as he suddenly lunged at me in a bear hug.

"Oh, go away you ugly clone!" I said as I gave him a shove. San Wan and Ranakah laughed.

"You all do have quite the sense of humor." Ranakah chuckled.

"Where'd Sentury and Japah go?" San Wan inquired.

"Running." Katook answered.

"What about you guys?" Ranakah asked.

"They went this morning." San Wan chuckled. "Didn't do too badly keeping up with me!" He grinned mischievously. "But I took it easy on them!" Katook and I just looked at each other and shook our heads. It really isn't a fair comparison, when there have been Aardatians clocked at sprints up to 45mph. Ranakah and San Wan just started laughing. "It's OK" they both chortled. "Have a seat." San Wan offered.

Katook and I sat down as San Wan got up to retrieve a fresh pot of tea and some additional cups for us too. He was so amazingly hospitable for someone who gravely outranked us.

"Thank you." We both smiled as we picked up our cups and tasted the tea.

"May we all survive this war." San Wan said as he raised his cup. Yes, we all agreed as we followed suit.

Katook and I sat drinking our tea and quietly commiserating as to what we felt up to doing next. It was a toss-up between Pontoon park or the mountains about 50 kilometers south of us.

"Sir." Katook inquired of San Wan. "Do you have anything you want us to do before we leave?"

"No not really?" San Wan answered. "Where you two going?" He inquired.

"Oh I think we are going to the mountains to hike the waterfalls." I answered.

"The college is on break" Ranakah interjected with a chuckle. "You mean you're not going to go down to the beach with all the other human males to ogle all the primarily naked babes?"

Katook and I just looked at each other and shrugged.

"You'd look good in one of those itty bitty bathing suits they all wear!" San Wan's brother giggled.

"Ranakah; bro! Shut up!" San Wan said.

"Well it's true!" Ranakah started laughing. "They all got the body for it; don't they? Young guys in great shape running around primarily naked themselves. Every one all slobbering all over each other. A virtual hormone fest!"

"Like I said" San Wan repeated. "Shut Up!"

Katook and I just looked at each other and shrugged again.

"I don't want sunburn." I commented.

"And I don't like being slobbered on." Katook added as Ranakah and San Wan started laughing even more.

"What experience have you got being slobbered on?" Ranakah suddenly inquired of Katook.

"Baby clones." San Wan answered as they both chuckled again.

"Amen!" Ranakah leaned over and slapped us on the back; than sat back and smiled, watching the two of us for some minutes.

"San Wan?" He suddenly asked. "Are they all like that?"

"You mean so platonic?" San Wan clarified. "Yeah they are." He answered.

San Wan's brother leaned over and whispered across the table. "Do they even know what sex is?"

San Wan put his tea-cup down, gave his brother "the look" and then glanced at us.

"I know!" Katook grinned real big as he suddenly raised his hand to volunteer an answer. "It's the process by which two organisms make a third."

Ranakah just gazed at the two of us.

"Well, that _is_ correct!" San Wan commented with a chuckle as Ranakah continued to gaze at us and nearly with one raised eyebrow.

"Hum?" His brother said. "Are they all so innocent?" He inquired.

San Wan finally let out a sigh and stared into his tea-cup. "Well, some know more than others; but for the most part yes."

"Why such...oblivion?" Ranakah suddenly queried. "Why keep them in the dark like that? If they don't know some of this stuff; couldn't it get them in trouble?"

"Military unit cohesion." San Wan began to explain. "Fewer distractions. Easier to do a job. If you have no desire for sex and only a basic medical understanding of reproduction; you could happily live out your life that way without a second thought." San Wan shrugged.

"Literally hundreds of thousands of clones have lived and died like that." He continued. "They abide their whole lives pretty much in a strictly controlled closed society. It is the most cooperative, smoothly running organizational structure I think I've ever seen." San Wan paused to take a sip of tea.

"They are very close to each other. They take good care of each other and they feel very safe in that environment. It makes them an extremely affective military." San Wan chuckled. "They've been in existence for something like 600 years. That's the longest running standing army in Inter-galactic history that I'm aware of."

"Hum" Ranakah nodded again. "And all these drugs and stuff they get, are near 100% effective at getting the results they want, without the side effects they don't want?" Ranakah looked at Katook and I for another long minute.

"Don't you ever get curious about each other?" He unexpectedly asked. "I mean wasn't that an issue in past Earth militaries?"

"No!" Katook answered again. "Innocent curiosities could get you killed!"

Ranakah suddenly stopped and looked at us. "You mean they'd execute you for... experimenting?" He asked.

"On other clones - yes." San Wan answered as Katook and I both nodded.

"Wow!" Ranakah exclaimed. "Granted, yeah I think you all trying that out on each other would be really disgusting; but I also think a lot of human heterosexual behavior is disgusting too! That's harsh though!"

"Yes that may be." San Wan said. "But it, in conjunction with a lot of other aspects of their culture - is very effective; because let me tell you!" San Wan continued. "The last thing you want your soldiers doing is each other." San Wan paused a minute as they both looked at the other. "There's gotta be a better way of putting that." San Wan shook his head.

We all sat quietly for a few more minutes when San Wan asked us what we wanted for dinner. He said he had some other appointment that evening and what ever it was we felt like setting our taste buds too; he was willing to foot the bill for. Being it somewhat reasonably priced at least.

Ranakah looked at San Wan and than at us. "That's right." He said. "They don't get paid do they?"

"No, they don't." San Wan answered. "But the support planets are routinely pretty generous. They can request of the Quarter-Master just about anything. If it's reasonable, and usually edible - they'll probably get it." San Wan chuckled. "They sometimes get adventurous and like to try different food. The down side to that is you'd better have enough of it, because if one likes it - generally the whole army wants some."

"Like chocolate." Ranakah laughed.

"Well yes." San Wan laughed too. "It's a well documented fact across the galaxy that clones like chocolate, and chocolate in any way, shape, or form." San Wan paused a minute and then asked Ranakah. "Are you busy? Do you want to take them someplace?"

"Sure." Ranakah answered. "Let me check with Bella first. I'm pretty sure though that she's staying late to grade exams; or at least that was the last news I had."

"OK" San Wan said. "If not let me know. I'll make other arrangements."


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Fair De Lay:**_

So upon returning from our hike up and back down the waterfalls; we all took our turns in the shower and got ready for Ranakah to take us for a night on the town. What ever that constituted. After loading us all in his shuttle; he asked if any of us had in mind what we felt like eating. Japah, Sentury, Katook and I all just looked around and shrugged. "Not really." Everyone concurred.

"OK than." Ranakah smiled. "This is going to sound weird; but we are going to Fair-De-Lay for dinner." We all looked at each other.

"Isn't that a grocery store?" Katook asked.

"Yes it is." Ranakah answered. "But we are going to the Fair-De-Lay in Porterville. There's a restaurant in that one. A restaurant with live waiters and where they actually cook real food, instead of it coming out of a replication device. You guys have to see this place. It's astounding." Ranakah shook his head in disbelief.

So we flew to the Fair-De-Lay in Porterville and Ranakah was right; I'd never seen a grocery store quite like this one. Not that I've ever seen a lot of grocery stores; but never one like this.

Ranakah took us in the store itself first. In which he said that if we saw any favorites, we could get them. This place was massive and we all stood in the front narthex staring at everything in disbelief. "Wow" We all said to each other.

"Hey, can we get one of these on our ship?" Katook asked. "I want one of these on our ship!"

We spent the next hour or so roaming the isles looking at produce, cheeses, deserts, candy and things we'd never imagined we'd find in a grocery store.

"This is wild." I said to Katook as I showed him the assortment of cheese I'd collected in my shopping basket. Katook was looking at pastries.

"I wonder what that taste like?" He pointed as he leaned over the display and tried to read the names of all the goodies. It wasn't long before Japah and Sentury showed up too. One bearing a bowl of exotic fruit and the other three bottles of wine. When Ranakah found us, he looked over all the treats we'd collected.

"You guys having a dinner party?" He chuckled. "You'd better invite me!"

After paying for our spread and stashing it in Ranakah's shuttle, we all proceeded to the restaurant for dinner. When we got to our table; we discovered Ranakah's wife Bella and two of her colleagues were two tables over from us. The wait staff were happy to put us altogether and Bella's colleagues chuckled when Ranakah told them his brother had set him up on a blind date with 4 of his men. The three ladies all commented on how they liked our dress uniforms, as they'd only ever seen them maybe once or twice before this.

"Yes, we don't wear them very often." I said.

"They look sort of like Aardatian Space Command uniforms." Bella noted.

"Now that you mention it - they do." Ranakah concurred. "I wonder why that is?" He laughed.

Before too much longer, we were told by the waiter that we could go up to the salad station and choose what ever we wanted. We'd offered to get the other 4 at the table something, but they all declined. Ranakah told us that he'd be up in a minute and the three women said they'd already eaten.

So Katook and I went to stand in line while Japah and Sentury stayed back to chat with Bella and her colleagues some more. We were waiting behind a group of human sorority students who'd taken a sudden interest in us. They'd realized we were in some sort of military unit, but seemed to think it was cute that a couple of twins enlisted together.

When Japah and Sentury joined the line. "Oh quadruples!" One of the girls exclaimed. Sentury and Japah looked at each other and then at us and we all started to chuckle.

"Milltuplets? Biltuplets?" Japah whispered under his breath.

"Yeah, where's the rest of our squad?" Katook inquired in as serious of a tone as he could muster.

"At home with dad." Sentury replied.

"Your whole squad went home on leave with you?" Another one of the girls said in an awe-struck tone.

"No." Japah uttered as he slapped Sentury. "My brother over here was kidding." Sentury wanted to repay Japah the compliment, but he was laughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath.

We all tried to wait quietly as each of us periodically glanced back at the table where Ranakah and the three women were sitting; but it was hard to keep the giggles from bubbling over. The students were smiling and giggling at us too, but obviously for a different amusement than we were enjoying.

After some brief exchanges of small talk, one of the girls invited us to their college drinking party. We tried to decline as politely as possible, because we all knew there was no way we'd actually be able to go; even if any of us wanted to. None of us knew exactly what happened at those college parties, but we knew enough to determine it wouldn't have been good.

Ranakah came walking up shortly after and inquired of us what was up. Sentury, Japah and Katook were trying hard to control their giggles when I turned and said to Ranakah that these girls wanted to take a picture of us... quadruplets. He looked at us and smiled.

"There's nothing wrong with that." He said as he nudged us out of the way and went to get his food.

"Yes there is." Sentury blurted out as he hid behind Katook. "I'm shy."

"Oh shut up - you are not!" Katook said as he gave Sentury a subtle whack on the back of the head. The girls all giggled as one started searching through her purse for her camera. I decided at that point I couldn't take any more.

"Wait, wait." I said to the sorority sisters, not exactly sure how to break it to them that we weren't actually quadruples. "OK, OK I got it." I said as I turned to the girls. "Now, Let me ask you all a question - OK?" I inquired.

"Well OK; ask away." they all giggled.

I took a deep breath, let out a sigh and got straight to the point. "OK; how long have you been on this planet?" I posed.

"Oh I don't know, a couple of months maybe?" One answered. "What does that matter?"

"Well maybe in the long run, to you, it won't." I said. "But I want you all to take a good look at us and tell me if we don't in any way look familiar to you, because we are pretty common around here." I paused a moment. "And the longer you are here; you will recognize us!"

They all hesitated a bit seemingly trying to grasp the riddle I'd just set before them when someone else from their group came up.

"What's going on?" She inquired as Katook and Sentury started laughing again.

"Shih!" Japah hushed them as I started my exposition.

"Your sorority sisters here, seem to have a certain infinity for... the quadruples!" I smiled at her. She looked at the four of us.

"You idiot Cindy." She started to laugh as she gave her friend a good whack on the arm. "Their not quadruples. They're clone soldiers!"

"The jig is up - she gets the gold star!" Sentury announced as we all started laughing.

Poor Cindy seemed quite embarrassed as she looked around at the other girls who also seemed a bit abashed. "But they are cute. Right, you all thought so 10 seconds ago!" She chastised her friends as they started to creep off one by one to the salad station.

"Yes, I would agree with you. I think they are cute too." Her friend who clued her in on the secret agreed. "But honey they are not quadruplets!"

"No, we're billtuplets." Sentury repeated.

"OH!" Cindy finally caught on. "I did hear him say that before, but it went right over my head!" She started hitting the heel of her hand on her forehead. "I feel so stupid." She confessed. "Sorry guys, I didn't mean anything bad by it."

"It's OK." I said.

"Don't worry about it." Japah added.

"I thought it was pretty funny." Katook giggled.

I just shrugged.

"You all can still come to our party if you want though; seeing how you were good sports about this and all." Cindy smiled slyly at us.

"Cindy!" Her friend rolled her eyes. "OK" She paused a moment. "If you guys want to come to the keg party - that's fine with me." The friend said before turning around to Cindy.

"But if you're expecting to get laid by one of them - it aint gonna happen." She whispered. We all just looked at each other.

"Get laid?" Katook whispered too as he made a funny face. The rest of the three of us just shrugged while the girls stood there seemingly somewhat aghast that we didn't understand.

"They don't know what it means?" Cindy whispered as she glared at her friend.

"No, they don't." Her friend whispered back. "Do you want to explain it to them; because I'm not." The friend whispered again.

"You're the one who said it!" Cindy retorted in a still hushed voice.

"You're the one who thought it!" Her friend countered in equally as hushed of a voice.

"Hang on." Katook suddenly said as he tiptoed over to Ranakah and whispered something to him. Ranakah started to giggle as he whispered back to Katook.

"He just asked that alien what it means." Cindy held her breath as Katook came tiptoeing back. He whispered the translation to each of us.

"Oh!" we all looked at each other and then at them.

"Oh my god!" Cindy gasped as she began fanning herself and nearly passed out. She turned around real quick. "I don't want the whole army." We heard her whine to her friend.

"Don't worry." I leaned over and whispered to both of them. "The whole army doesn't want you either."

She glanced back at me.

"We might all be clones, but we're not criminals." I told her. "Unless you point a weapon at us - you're safe." I shrugged.

"See Cindy." Her friend countered. "I think you can relax now. I had a couple of these guys in my temporal mechanics class last year and like he said; unless you threaten them, or do combat training with them!" Her friend giggled. "They're pretty harmless."

"Combat training?" Cindy made a funny face.

"Yeah." Her friend laughed. "We used to watch these guys out on the east lawn of the college just about every morning. They'd put on their full battle gear and beat the shit out of each other. We couldn't ever really figure it out; because none of them ever seemed to get hurt - but anyways." She laughed.

"I'm Maryann; by the way." She said as she introduced herself and shook my hand.

"Hi." We all waved.

"I'm Nakahm, that's Sentury, Japah and Katook." I introduced everyone.

"They all have names?" Cindy said in amazement.

"Yeah, they do." Maryann cringed with a hint of embarrassment at her 'sister's' obvious ignorance.

"Who names you guys?" Cindy asked curiously. "I mean, you don't have parents do you?"

"Cindy." Maryann poked her friend.

"No, that's alright." I said. "It's a valid question."

"We name each other." Japah jumped in. "And we kind of do have parents." He added. "This army has been around for almost 600 years. There are actually generations of clones. The older ones take care of the children and we usually get our names when we're about 5 years old."

"Wow." Cindy exclaimed. "What do they call you in the mean time?" She wondered.

"Well, we get a various assortments of Baby, Sweety, Honey, Precious, Cutie and the such like." I answered.

"Well, you guys are cute." Cindy smiled coyly.

"How old are you anyways?" She asked another question while, for what ever reason Katook just started giggling. "You all have consecutive numbers on your collars." She observed. "Are you all the same age?" She wondered.

"Close." We nodded.

"We're all from the same batch." I answered a little hesitantly.

"Wow." Cindy replied again. "That's creepy."

"Cindy don't say that." Maryann suddenly uttered in a sober tone as the four of us just sort of looked at each other.

"Do they have souls?" We heard Cindy whisper to Maryann. Maryann let out a sigh as she glanced at us.

"Well, I don't know." She muttered back rather sarcastically. "Does your cat have a soul? They do have feelings you know. Don't say that!"

There was another long pause of awkward silence.

"Well, let's go eat." I told the others as I let out a sigh and turned to walk away. Sentury and Japah started to follow me, but Katook just stood there. "Oh no, what trouble is he getting himself into now?" I mumbled as I went back to retrieve Katook.

"God is the author of life, not a laboratory test tube!" He suddenly heralded something San Wan would say to us.

"God?" Cindy questioned with a look of half surprise and half disgusted annoyance. "So clones actually believe in God?" She chortled. "How archaically quaint; and I thought you were genetically engineered to be more advanced?" She smiled as she looked the two of us over.

"Physically at least." She mumbled to herself.

"As for God? Those of us of the truly more progressive genetic constitution abandon those tales of antiquity several hundred years ago." She smugly folded her arms.

There was one final long pause before I decided I really needed to say something.

"Yes, I find it ironically hypocritical of certain human opinions of our army; when wealthy parents on Earth have hand picked the designer DNA of their chosen offspring for hundreds of years." I noted. "But individual essence is more than a body and the spirit of one clone soldier should not be denigrated simply because you lust after his flesh." I said as I put my arm around Katook. "You personally bear no more authority than either of us and if you still believe you do; genetically engineered or not! That is your want." I told her.

"Yeah, maybe it was your test tube that leaked and not mine." Katook growled angrily as I turned away and attempted to lure him along with me.

"You're the ugly soulless clone!" He chided, just before I pulled him aside.

"Katook, you probably shouldn't have said that." I whispered as we got our food.

"Why not?" He protested. "How come they all take for granted something they assume we don't have?" He cross-examined me. "What makes them think they are better than us?" He demanded in quiet objection. "She don't want the whole army, but just the four of us?" He peered at me. "Like she's got the choice and we don't because supposedly she's the one with the soul? What kind of justice is that?" He mumbled.

"It's not." A voice interrupted and we turned around. It was Maryann.

"Look." She said. "I'm sorry for what happened back there. I want you to know that I myself wasn't trying to compare you guys to a cat." She explained. "Cindy has a cat that she treats better than she treats most people. That's why I said that." Maryann sighed.

"I don't know that many of you." She went on as she gathered up some salad. "But the few soldiers I've met I've liked and that's why I think you guys are cute." She giggled. "Not because I think you're soulless and would make good animated sex toys." She paused as she looked at us. "Cloned or not." She said. "We need more decent people in this universe."

We went back to the table and continued the evening's meal with little other interruption. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying their steak while Katook still appeared a bit sullen. When Ranakah took us all back to his and San Wan's home; we decided to continue the celebrations and break out our goodies.

Ranakah and Bella stayed up with us a while playing Chuwanka as we passed around the cheese and wine. When they retired for the evening, we all decided to hang up our dress uniforms and get ready for bed.

We hung out down stairs in the family's recreation room playing computer video games and a few more rounds of Chuwanka. Katook sat out after the video games were over and spent the rest of the evening leaning against my back with his legs over the sofa arm staring at the fish in the tank across the room. Or at least so I thought.

None of us seemed to notice that Katook had managed to down most of the last bottle of wine by himself. No, we were too busy trying to kill each other at Chuwanka. Than all the sudden I heard a sniffle and a quite sob escape.

"Katook, what's wrong?" I asked, not thinking much of it. After all Japah was 3 up on me.

"I still want to try." He whispered.

"Try what?" I asked rather off the cuff as I'd managed now to close Japah's lead by 1&½.

"Get laid." He said in an almost inaudible voice.

I stopped and turned and looked at him as I apparently was the only one who heard what he'd said, for Sentury was now goading Japah for his bad move. Katook was sitting there with a near empty glass of wine in one hand and the other tucked between his legs apparently trying to elicit some sort of response.

"Oh Katook." I sighed as I took his wine glass and pulled his hand out of his jumper. "I think the only laying you need to worry about tonight is laying off the wine!"

"What?" Sentury said as the two of them suddenly became quiet for apparently it was my turn and their attention was now directed to something other than Chuwanka.

"But they admitted they thought we were cute." Katook mumbled as Sentury and Japah just kind of looked at a each other.

"You mean those girls in the restaurant?" Japah questioned.

"Yeah." Katook slurred as I had to assist him to sit up. "Let's go to their party. I wanna go to their party. Maybe we can all get laid like they said? Except Maryann. She's not a soulless clone sex toy."

Sentury looked at Katook and made a funny face. "Man you have had too much to drink!" He said while Japah let out a cynical laugh.

"Not like it would matter." Japah commented as he looked around at all of us before his eyes settled back on Katook. "Would you even know..." He suddenly stopped mid-sentence as the question hung in the air.

I glanced at Japah and shook my head for in reality; we all knew that none of us do. Sentury let out a sigh resting his chin on his hand.

"Do you think it would matter if we did?" I finally inquired. "Not like anyone's gonna want us anyways."

Silence loomed for what seemed to be an eternity, only periodically pierced by Katook's sobs. I put my arm over his shoulder and he latched onto it as I wrapped it around his chest and under his other arm. I looked around at Sentury and than Japah who himself had a tear trickling down his face. At least we have us to comfort each other. I thought to myself, though dared not say to the others. After all, if we felt alone there's always another clone. I'd many a time heard this commentary offered; even if half in jest. I let out a sigh, put my head down and closed my eyes. Maybe this would all just go away - I hoped.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Katook's Quest:**_

The following morning we all got up and started our day as if nothing of much consequence had actually happened the prior evening. I don't think it was really of "little consequence"; but only of quiet pondering that stayed between our ears. At least that was until the following days early morning practice drills came along.

We gathered for our customary combat sparing to rehearse and experiment with the best possible outcomes we could deduct of any given possible worst case scenario we could possibly dream up. That of course depending on if it is even possible to possibly come up with all the possibilities that were even possible; or something like that.

Either way, some days we worked very hard at this; while other days we spent the time basically blowing off steam, or just plain goofing around. San Wan, Ranakah and his wife Bella often would spend their morning tea time watching us out their back porch door in the wee first rays of the new dawn. I often wondered what they thought of us tossing, pitching, rolling, kicking, throwing and hurling each other around their back yard.

_What a "vacation" huh!_

Some mornings we just practiced things like strength building, stretching, breathing or concentration and on the days when we just felt like being brutal; we'd dawn full combat armor and go after each other with a vengeance matched only by literal battle. Well, this was one of those mornings. With helmets on and three-foot wooden dowels that were thick enough to support our weight in hand, we started out practicing flips.

Japah and I were the first up when it came to rehearsal of fighting from the ground - when your enemy is coming at you from a standing run. We were working on being hurled through the air and landing on our feet.

I was doing fairly well until the third run; when I made it over Japah and touched down fittingly, but lost my balance and fell backwards landing on his head. Oh man that hurt, alighting on the only part of us that isn't armored that well.

"Great stratagy Nakahm!" I heard Sentury through my helmet communicator. "Crush your enemy. Sit on his skull!" Well, yeah that was easy for him to say; it wasn't his rear echelon that bounced off Japah's helmet. I grumbled as I lay on the ground cursing Sentury in words I'd lost the breath the express.

Japah was a little dazed too. I know that, since I myself have been on the receiving end of someone else's misfortune on more than one occasion. It's a terribly helpless feeling when your laying there on the ground; someone's just vaulted over you, when all the sudden here it comes! Yer butty! After the first time it happens; for what ever reason, the image never leaves your mind. I think it's befallen all of us at least once. And being clones of course; we all have precisely the same picture in our minds!

Well, after my little mishap; it was Sentury and Katook's turn. They'd done fairly well on the launches and had moved on to trying to knock each other down while at tantamount time jumping up before the other guy could strike them down again. Sentury was two up on Katook and Katook wasn't having any of it! He had finally managed to give Sentury a flying shove that sent him sailing; in which Katook himself vaulted right on top of Sentury. I guess the strategy was that if I can't stay up, I'll just keep you down here with me.

They rolled around on the ground for about 10 minutes when Katook had decisively found the scheme that apparently worked for him. Sentury had pinned him a few times on his back when Katook managed to get his arms around Sentury and tuck his hands into the arm holes of Sentury's armor vest. He'd also managed to wrap his legs around Sentury's waist and hook the armor plates of his boots together. We still haven't quite figured out how he did that, but apparently it was quite effective; because though Sentury's arms and legs were free, he still couldn't get up. And to make matters worse; the latches that hold Katook's hand weapons to the thighs of his armor got caught in the grommets that hold together the vest and the girdle of Sentury's armor.

Finally we heard Sentury's exasperated inquiry through our com-links. "Katook, what the hell are you trying to do to me?"

"Nothing!" Came Katook's reply. "The more I don't do the more you can't do!"

Sentury let out an annoyed murmur. "Katook, please explain to me the usefulness of this battle strategy? I'm laying on top of you! You can't kill me, you're arms aren't free. You can't kick me."

"No, I can wait here for reinforcements." Katook answered. "Maybe I'm the kind of enemy who eats their foe. I'll just wait for my buddies to show up and than we'll haul you back to camp and have fire roasted clone with sautéed onions and peppers in a tomato basil marinade."

"What?" Sentury conceded a confused defeat.

After that excessively long, warped description of such a sumptuous delicacy; we'd all lost it. We were laughing so hard none of us were of any use to help Sentury get out of this ... this dinner death grip!

"Complete with a good bottle of port!" I added in post script.

At that point Sentury started helmet butting Katook. "Wait till I get out of this; I'm coming after you next Nakahm!" I heard Sentury threaten, as the ping, ping, ping of their two face clanking together rang through the air.

"No wait, I got it!" Japah announced as he sat up and proceeded to instruct Sentury as to how to get out of this quagmire. "Push against his body until your armor gets un-lodged, than put your hands under his arms and pull yourself out." Japah continued "And if it's anything like the reproductive practices of this enemy, than you'll have the psychological warfare thing going there for you too!"

"What?" Katook suddenly broke in.

"Well!" Sentury said as he stopped pinging Katook and started laughing. "You did say..." He suddenly abandon the last comment, although we all had a pretty good idea what was going next.

"Yeah, but not by you!" Katook suddenly blurted out!

"OK than!" Sentury gasped through fits of laughter. "Are you still gonna eat me?" He inquired. "Because if you are - I'm gonna... mess with your head!"

"No, I think I lost my appetite!" Katook responded as he finally let go of Sentury's vest. It was another few minutes though before we managed to pry Katook and Sentury's armor apart. We actually had to take Katook's boots off his feet.

Sentury, Japah and I were all sitting in the grass laughing hysterically, trying to figure out exactly how Katook and Sentury got stuck together so well; while Katook just got up and went in the house. I think he was a bit humiliated. Once we finally solved the mystery, I went inside to check on Katook. He was sitting with San Wan and Ranakah at the table.

"Are you OK?" I giggled, still somewhat overcome by the absurdity of it all.

"I guess so." Katook shrugged and finally smiled as I pulled a chair up nice and close and put an arm around him.

"First I sit on Japah's face and than you two get cleaved together. This is turning into a dandy morning!" I grinned as I smacked Katook on the shoulder. He let out a little laugh. "You sure you're OK?" I asked.

"Yeah." He smiled. "We all gotta take a good ribbing once in a while, hey?"

"Yeah." I smiled back as I gave him one final slap on the back of the head.

I went upstairs to get cleaned up. There were two washrooms San Wan said we could use if we wanted to. One was a common bathroom for the use of several upstairs bedrooms and the other was actually attached to San Wan's bedroom. It had two entrances; one from his room and one from the hallway. He had just warned us though that if we wanted to use the tub; just make sure both doors were locked.

I walked past this tub room on my way to the shower when I suddenly stopped and peered inside. The last time I'd actually had a bath in a tub was? I think I was a small child? I stood there looking inside and wondering if I should take this opportunity? Maybe I'd better ask first? I thought to myself as I headed back down stairs to inquire.

"Yeah, Go ahead." San Wan said. "Bella already left for work; and I'll just use his bathroom." He pointed to Ranakah.

"Are you sure?" I inquired again just to be on the safe side.

"Yeah, you're fine." San Wan waved me away.

"Oh OK." I smiled as I headed back upstairs.

I entered the tub room and made sure I locked the door just as San Wan had said. I read the instructions on the side of the tub carefully. Apparently this tub had jets in it and a heater to keep the water warm too. Wow, I thought to myself. Real luxury, I've never been in one of these before. So I turned the water on, when all the sudden the monitor in the wall came on too and asked me if I wanted these certain radio stations. I stood and looked around. How did it know I was here?

"Ah, Yeah?" I hesitantly answered as the music unexpectedly began to play. It wasn't really anything I recognized; but I didn't want to mess with San Wan's stations either, so this was fine. It took a minute or two before I figured out that my turning the water on automatically turned the radio on too. When the water stopped running; the radio prompted me as to how many hours of play time I wanted. Uh, I don't know I hesitated a minute. "Till I'm done I guess." I chuckled.

"Ok." the computer responded. "Radio will shut down 15 minutes after tub drains." Wow, I thought. That's pretty wild!

So I got myself undressed and gingerly climbed into the tub. The water was nice and hot and as I sat down, the jets came on. I faded in and out to the sound of the jets, as the music played quietly in the background. Consequently, I don't think it was more than five minutes before I was asleep.

I awoke to voices from behind the door. It sounded like San Wan and Ranakah. The door to the bedroom suddenly opened. Oh no! I realized. I forgot that one.

"Ooopse, sorry." Came Ranakah's voice as I peered over the edge of the tub.

"What?" I heard San Wan.

"Ahh, there's a clone in your bathtub." Ranakah replied.

"Yeah, I keep the best of all cognizant intelligence in that tub!" San Wan chuckled. "Here, excuse me." He said as I heard him come walking in. "My apologies Amornam." San Wan said. "The other bathroom is out of paper." I sat up and turned around as San Wan was rummaging through a cabinet. I guess it didn't matter if he'd seen me; not like I'm anything he hasn't already seen. He's operated on hundreds of us.

San Wan exited the room, although I could still hear him and Ranakah talking, as I don't think the door was closed quite tightly. They were discussing something about the college when Ranakah asked San Wan how long we could stay on account of he knew a professor at the University who would be interested in us.

"I think she could help them with their... frustrations." Ranakah said. "I mean, I know you saw them fighting out there this morning; but this is the first time I've ever seen it get so... graphic? Does that happen a lot?" Ranakah asked San Wan as I sat up to listen a little more carefully. I hope Katook and Sentury were not in trouble for what occurred.

"Well?" I heard San Wan reply. "Admittedly, I've seen some curious things. After the last mission, in the cargo hold of the transport back to the main ship they were all dancing. They'd jump up on the cargo boxes in pairs and entertain each other. The routines were pretty clever and I'd have to say, they have an amazing synchronicity. I didn't see anything overtly disallowed, but they are definitely not as asexual in action as they are on laboratory test reports."

"Yeah, I noticed that too." Ranakah confirmed. "I think regardless of what's been done to their bodies; what ever potential still left for sexual expression, finds an outlet." I sat up and turned around at Ranakah's comment. Was he really talking about us?

"Well, I do remember a training lecture from one of the researchers who worked in these chemical castration units. He said the manifest evident behavior can be controlled by drugs and conditioning; but the underlying need it represents can't be, nor should we try to force it to be." San Wan went on. "They can live without the biological drive, but not in a world devoid of feelings of love. In the very beginning a great deal of them died on account of that lack of touch." San Wan continued as I quietly crept out of the tub.

"Since their sense of well being - like most of us - is felt through physical closeness; we'd see a lot of behavior that seemed strikingly pre-copulative to us. There's a lot of close physical proximity, poking, prodding and teasing. We might even witness them hug and kiss each other. So long as we didn't see anything that looked obviously inappropriate; we were warned to be careful not to jump to conclusions because their experience of the behavior in question is different than ours. There's no sense of sexual excitement or pleasure because those receptors are blocked." I listened as I wrapped myself up in a big fluffy towel and stood by the door.

"Do you ever wonder if the combat fighting is a way of expressing the frustration of having something taken from them that they have no control over" Ranakah asked San Wan. "I mean they have to be frustrated. These particular guys are so young. It's one thing at our age to mourn something dwindled away with age; but to have been denied that your entire life? They know something is missing. Maybe they've never experienced it, but they know it isn't there. Maybe it doesn't really matter if you don't know what your missing - but?"

"Well, that's the argument of those in the high command." San Wan broke in. "You can't miss something you've never had; but that just is not true. Anyone who spends any time in a cloning facility, or in the fleet can see that." San Wan continued.

"Reproductive rights are a small issue compared to the basic right to have some say over what happens to me. I come into this world as a clone, grow up as a clone and live and die in the same army as millions who've gone before me; outside of the whole issue of we all look and pretty much act the same. I don't know a different world so I must be happy right?" San Wan asked. "But you know Ranakah; I've never seen so much despair. The tears of this army could literally drown the planets they defend. A great deal has been done to alleviate the melancholy problem in the ranks, but still; the Allegiance knows no other population where the suicide rate is so high."

There was a long silence as I stood staring at the floor trying to make some sense for myself as to what they were talking about. Oh yeah, I understood every word they said. I understood it all too well. How do you not despair when most everyone around you questions if you even have a soul? I sighed as I suddenly heard a little squeak. I looked up only to realize San Wan and Ranakah had discovered I was standing there all this time.

"Amornam?" San Wan asked. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah." I nodded rather meekly. "You're right though." I told San Wan. "You can miss something you don't have. I know I sometimes wonder about stuff." I confessed. "But more so; I'm a little worried about Katook. He's acting kind of weird." I told them as I adjusted my fluffy towel.

"Yeah we noticed." San Wan concurred as I let out a long sigh. "Yeah, says he wants to get laid; except not by Sentury." I stated rather point blankly. San Wan and Ranakah started to laugh.

"Well that's good to hear. Provided Sentury feels the same way." Ranakah chuckled. I just sort of looked at him with a bit of confusion.

"Don't worry about my brother here!" San Wan made a face as he shooed Ranakah's comment away. "We'll make sure both Katook and Sentury are OK." He reassured me as he reached up and patted my face. "Are you done?" He gestured at the tub.

"Oh?" I suddenly realized I'd left it on. "I'll go fix that." I said as I hurried away. I heard the door click closed behind me as I shut the jets off and started to drain the tub. When I looked up in the direction of the door I saw something was there that I'd hadn't noticed before; a mirror.

I stood for a long time looking at the mirror before I crept back over to it. I just stood for a couple of minutes with the towel dangling from my hand sort of wondering if I was really ugly or not? That seemed like a rather stupid question as I waited there struggling with another question.

How could I make a fair judgement when my assessment is so clouded by the millions of faces staring back at me. If I didn't deem Katook or Japah or Sentury or anyone else to be particularly ugly; why would I think differently of myself? I don't know; maybe it's not the reflection I see that makes the question so hard to answer, as much as the millions of mirrors all around me? I suppose none of us are bad looking, but if there weren't so many of us; would we'd be better looking? I let out a little laugh.

I suppose it doesn't matter though, because that's not reality. I guess I just wish I knew whether or not I was really loved? I mean it's easy for a bunch of us who are all basically the same to care about each other. After all, that's drilled into us from the time we come out of the incubation chambers. Is clone love real love though? I wondered; or is that something different?

I let out one last sigh before I put on clean underclothes and a fresh jumper. I took my armor down stairs for a good rinse and scrub down before it was time to climb back into it again. Sentury, Japah and Katook were just finishing up when I got down there. They were talking about something I wasn't paying too much attention too when Katook apologized to Sentury for adhering himself to him.

"That's OK." Sentury said after a pause and a shrug. "I kinda liked it." He giggled as he glanced around at all of us to make sure we were OK with it. We all just looked back at him and smirked, even though I wasn't too sure that Sentury didn't really mean it.

"It's alright." Japah taunted as he slid over, put an arm around Sentury and gave him a patronizing pat on the shoulder. "It's soooo... _hard_ to be a clone." He started to laugh as we all just shook our heads, gave him a thumbs down and started to boo.

"Yeah, you're right." I declared as I slid over next to Japah with the same patronizing pat on the shoulder. Katook just shook his head.

"No wonder we're so lonely." He commented. We all laughed again.

"Hey, I got a question for you guys?" I posed as I got up to shake out my vest.

"Huh?" Everyone paused a minute in half attendance.

"This may sound weird." I said. "But do you guys think we're ugly?"

They all started to snicker.

"Not really." Sentury finally answered. "We suffer more from being too common than being too ugly."

"Yeah, I guess that's the conclusion I also came too." I sort of reluctantly agreed.

"Well good." Katook jumped in with a goofy grin. "If we're not ugly, does that mean we now got a better chance of getting laid?"

"How 'bout smacked upside the head?" I said as I reached over and gave Katook a good whack.

"Hey?" He protested as he slapped me back and than just stood looking thoughtfully at me. "Don't you ever really wonder though?" He asked.

"Wonder about what?" I waved his question away. "Not like it's ever going to happen."

"Well why not?" Katook contested. "It's not like we absolutely can't!"

"Katook, who's army you in?" Japah inquired as we all started laughing.

"No seriously!" Katook insisted. "If we weren't so full of... chemicals and receptor blockers - do you think we'd actually work?" He entailed as his query hung in the air a few minutes.

"See!" Katook continued after another few moments. "You do wonder what it would actually feel like; don't you?" He chided us.

"Don't know; never thought seriously about." Japah answered. "Seeing how it's not a reality any of us are ever truthfully going to see! So why worry about it?"

"Yeah." I agreed as I gestured toward Japah. "Think I'm with him on that one."

"Well Katook!" Sentury pipped in. "I can appreciate where you're coming from and yeah; I'd like to find out some day too. I'll be honest with you though; there's two ways of knowing and I don't want to stumble upon it the wrong way!" Sentury continued. "You ever watch these guys running around, panting like dogs looking to sniff out every... "tree" they pass? It's nasty!" Sentury shook his head. "So yeah, cut my gonads off and send me to war; it's gotta be better than licking the ass of the pup in front of me!" We all paused a minute and looked at him.

"Sentury man, you certainly have a way with words don't you?" Japah cringed and then let out a chuckle.

"Yeah, that was a little more picturesque than I required." I threw in my two cents.

"Well!" Sentury tossed his hands in the air. "It's true aint it?" He said as he walked past me. "Look here you dear, sweet, cute young clone you!" He cooed as he put an arm around Katook and squeezed his face while Japah and I started to giggle. "You go find someone who's going to love you first; than worry about the rest of it! OK?" He said as he pulled Katook close and planted a big goofy sloppy kiss on him.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Katook flapped his hands as he shoved Sentury away.

"Uhh! Don't do that - ya creep me out!" Katook shivered as he frantically wiped Sentury's affection off the side of his face, while the rest of us just put our heads down and giggled in our own torment.

Yeah, so I guess Japah is right. I shook my head in my own unwillingness to admit thus. It is hard to be a clone.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Who will love me?**_

A few days later we were readying ourselves for our new assignment at Hopewell University. We were going to participate in a research study one of the biology professors was conducting; but little did we know, it would be another five plus years before we'd be back.

The rest of our battalion was back on Hurunda doing android bunker operations when we'd gotten the news. The civil unrest on the Pelora colony had broken forth into violence. We were told we'd be deployed to Fenta to supervise the elections. San Wan said though that we'd be moving off of that planet in six or so weeks and sent to the Patorie sector to patrol for pirates. Well, at least that's fairly benign duty. I figured as I packed my things to be ready for the transport back to our battle cruiser.

Ranakah phoned and told us San Wan would be back in two hours with the shuttle to get us. So after packing and with nothing better to do we all decided to hang out in the back yard and play cards or something. It was a nice sunny warm spring day and Bella's garden was in full bloom.

Sentury and Japah were getting a little rowdy trying to juggle Boche Balls and play catch with horse shoes while I decided to take up residency on the hammock. Katook was wandering around chasing the giant bumble bees through the flowers. Yeah, you know the ones that are the size of your hand; or at least I think that's what he was doing. Every so often we'd hear a yell from the other side of the yard. "Ouch! Don't sting me!"

Apparently he'd had enough of that though, since I felt a poke just as I was about to fall asleep. I opened my eyes.

"What's up Katook?" I asked as he was standing there looking rather forlorn.

"I need some company." He said as he crawled into the hammock with me.

"What's the matter?" I looked at him as he wiped his face and then rested his head on my shoulder.

"I don't know." He sighed. "Think I need some happy pills again."

"Well." I said as I patted his arm. "It happens to the best of us."

Katook closed his eyes and soon fell asleep as we lay there swinging in the breeze. I stared up at the sky watching the birds fly back and forth between the trees wondering how many other millions of creatures were out there staring into the same space feeling as absolutely all alone as I did.

San Wan would say that when ever he got lonely, he'd look up into the sky and think of the great God who was so much bigger than all this He'd brought to life. Eventually, San Wan said he'd feel not so alone. Well, I guess he's got a point there. I thought a moment as I listened to Katook's breathing and felt the weight of his body against mine. It was rather comforting having life other than my own so close to me.

I thought a minute as I closed my eyes and started to wonder if God would actually listen if I tried to pray. Well God! I said in my head before I stopped and thought to myself. I don't even know what to say? I've never done this before. I opened my eyes and stared at the sky. Would You hear me if I talked to You? I asked.

No answer sprang forth in that moment, except the sun came peeking out from behind a cloud and I could feel it's warmth on my face. Maybe You do actually hear me. I thought for a moment as I heard Sentury and Japah getting boisterous again.

I looked over at the two of them trying to see who could shot put a Botchy Ball the furthest. You guys are funny. I smiled to myself as I closed my eyes. Before too much longer; I'd found myself asleep as well.

I awoke again choking on the hot air and sand that had gotten into my mouth. I coughed and sputtered as I quickly sat up and looked around. I'm back here. I thought to myself as my eyes settled upon this desert nomad I'd apparently left sitting here some time ago while my mind wandered down the memory lane of life.

"Oh sorry." I mumbled to him. "I sometimes get lost in my thoughts. I guess." I whispered while simply staring at the sand that ran down the small mounds of where I'd just been laying.

"You miss your friends." He said in what seemed to me to be an indication that he understood.

I looked up at him. "Yeah I do." I whispered as the memories of Katook's final moments flooded my mind.

"We were running." I started to cry. "Running to try to get back to the transport before the Balliah got to us. Katook was right behind me when I heard a sudden crack, an explosion and a scream. I woke up half buried under rubble when I heard someone call me." I took a deep breath.

"The voice was calling Amornam; so I knew it was Katook. I didn't think I was hurt, but I remember being really dizzy. I got up and stumbled over to a body laying in a crater. I thought I must have been hearing things because when I saw him, I knew he couldn't still be alive! I tripped, fell and sort of slid into the crater. I managed to crawl over next to him, pulled his helmet off and then mine. He looked at me and than started singing an ancient Earth song Shiloh had recorded off the university's main computer.

'Even though I'm walking through the valley of the shadow.

I will hold tight to the hand of him who's love will comfort me.

And when all hope is gone and I've been wounded in the battle.

He is all the strength that I will ever need.

He will carry me.'

Than he coughed and everything went silent. I..I shook him, but he didn't answer. His eyes were open, but I could tell he wasn't there any more."

"I don't remember much after that." I continued. "I remember four Balliah soldiers had found us there and me yelling at them at the top of my lungs to go ahead and shoot me. It didn't matter any more. Three of them just looked at the forth.

"Crazy clone." He said. "They loose their mind when batch buddy get killed."

So I turned around and started running away from them. I don't think they did anything but just stand there and watch me. When I saw the edge of the cliff. I just kept running until there was no ground left under my feet.

I only vaguely remember falling. There was a big shadow that flashed between the sun and me and all the sudden something grabbed me. I remember this swooping noise and rocking motion like the waves of the sea. I'd drop, jump, my ears would pop with every swoop and every time this happened I thought I was going to black-out. I was upside down and I could see that the ground was somehow getting further away.

Suddenly the Balliah appeared on the cliff underneath me and I could see one of us laying in a crater behind them. I kept going higher and higher and then suddenly dropped onto a mound of sticks, grass, mud and feathers. I pushed myself up to see where I was and all I could make out was this huge bird flying away. I looked down at myself because every time I moved there seemed to be something sticking me. That's when I noticed there were three holes in my armor. Two in the vest and one in the leg. When I realized they'd been left by the talons of this bird; I...I think I passed out."

I sat quiet for a real long time after that; just glancing up at this desert Earth dweller. I thought about the final words Katook uttered and how his life had totally changed after one particular incident following the commencement of the research project at the college that took us five years to get back to. Five years, several reconstruction projects, a police action and two wars later; we returned to Hopewell University. That's a whole other story though.

Well, Katook's long-standing quest to just "get laid" ended abruptly one evening when we'd found him in the dorm several hours after our return from dinner and studies. We all walked in, Japah headed to his locker, Sentury to the toilet and I to toss my gear in the foot locker by Katook. He sat, slouched over on that odd piece of furniture dubbed "a futon" that someone from the college had generously donated to us. His armor vest was on the floor and various other assemblies of garb in assorted stages of undress.

"What's wrong Katook?" I asked when I stumbled upon him. He was quiet for a long time.

"I guess Sentury was right." Katook finally mumbled.

"Right?" I heard Sentury pipe in from the toilet room. "You mean I was actually right about something?" He giggled as he came out to see what Katook was talking about.

"Yeah." Katook looked up at him. "There's a right way and a wrong way." Katook glanced around at all of us. "I don't think I did it the right way."

The three of us paused and looked at Katook a few minutes as we began to piece together what he was actually talking about. Sentury rubbed his face a minute or two before any of us finally said something.

"You wanted to see if?" Sentury paused. "You...work?" He inquired as he looped his finger in circles through the air .

Katook nodded.

"Well?" Japah curiously interjected.

Nope. Katook shook his head as Japah seemed subtlety crestfallen.

"But at least Melinda was nice about it." Katook shrugged. "She said she actually likes me better this way. You know?" He glanced up at us. "The way we are." Katook sighed. "She said we're uncomplicated. We are not always thinking about that... that one thing. And;" Katook paused another minute. "She loves the fact that I'm so cuddly."

We all started laughing.

"Yeah that's us!" I giggled.

"We're the cuddliest army in the galaxy!" Japah completed my thought as he slapped me on the back.

"Hey but you know what; that's OK!" Sentury reassured Katook and the rest of us. "I enjoy being honest and uncomplicated. Makes my life easier!" Sentury smiled.

"But how come I feel so disgusting?" Katook suddenly blurted out. "I'm disappointed that Melinda agreed to this in the first place and I'm mad at myself for actually asking!" Katook crossed his arms in an aggravated growl and hung his head. "I guess I feel ashamed of myself." He whispered.

The rest of the three of us just stood for a long time; not sure how to answer him.

"Well, I think we've all done things we aren't proud of." I sighed as I sat down with Katook and gave him a reassuring slap on the back. "We can't change the past." I told him. "Just try to do better next time."

"But that doesn't stop me from feeling what I feel now!" Katook yelled in exasperation as he got up and ran away from us.

"I feel polluted. I feel dirty and I can't undo that!" Katook continued. "They tell me I belong to the Allegiance. I belong to this army. I'm a clone! I don't even posses my own identity! I don't want to belong to anyone else; but I don't make better decisions when I think I belong to me! So what difference does it make?" Katook stood with his arms crossed, tight-lipped looking like he was trying desperately to hold back the tears.

"San Wan tells us we belong to God." I suddenly stated the first thought that came to mind.

The three of them turned and looked at me sort of strangely, as if that was some odd revelation none of us had ever harked to before. Even though of course, we'd all heard San Wan say it at least a million times.

"Do you think that's really true?" Katook gasped as he turned away from us.

"Well, I don't know?" I confessed after a long pause. "It sounds better than anything else I've been told."

There was another silent moment before Japah let out a little giggle.

"Yeah it does." He said. "Do you think maybe we actually do have souls?" Japah posed rather inquisitively.

"Judge for yourself I guess." Sentury answered. "Do you think we'd be having this conversation if we didn't?"

Katook finally settled himself, got some what redressed and came over to sit next to me. He leaned his wearied little cloned soul against my shoulder.

"Do you think other clones ask these questions, or are we just somewhat weird?" Katook solicited an opinion from each of us.

"Well?" Sentury chuckled as he plopped down on the other side of me and Japah grabbed a chair from a near by desk. "I suppose of the billions of clones who've come and gone before us; we can't be the only ones in this whole sad army who've ever wondered this."

"Well I hope not." Katook sighed rather sleepily. "Because I really want a soul. One of my own! Not one someone cloned for me."

"I don't know? Can you clone a soul?" Japah jumped in.

"Well, I don't think so." I said. "That's the argument they all use that say we don't have souls; because a soul can't be cloned. But on the other hand:" I continued. "If we do actually have souls, than we are more than just clones, because something about us would be different from each other!"

"Nakahm!" Japah squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "Not tonight please. Your philosophical questions are giving me a headache."

It wasn't too much longer before Japah and Sentury left the conversation about clone's souls between my ears and got up to ready themselves for tomorrow's day's work. They took their turns in the shower; changed their underclothes and jump-suites, shut the lights off and went to bed. Katook and I just sat there on the futon somewhere in that stage world between awake and asleep when Katook yawned and started to mumble to me.

"Amornam?" He said.

"What?" I responded.

"You know how San Wan said God is love?" He asked.

"Yeah." I replied.

"And we can love because He first loved us?" Katook continued.

"Yeah." I responded again.

"Well, I know I love you; so I must have a soul." Katook concluded.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. He was nearly asleep again.

"Hum." I said to myself as I peered out the window and back down at Katook.

"I love you too." I sighed as I kissed the top of his head and rested mine on it. Maybe God you do hear us? I wondered as I soon fell fast asleep myself.

I looked up at the desert dweller again.

"Katook told me the next day what actually happened." I said to him.

"I guess he and Melinda started out hugging and kissing each other and when he didn't really know what to do next; she tried to show him. He got real uncomfortable being fondled though, so it seems she felt it best to just leave him alone. He said that she'd talked to him for about 20 minutes before she got up and left."

I looked at this man.

"He felt really badly about that for a long time." I told him.

"He never really talked about it after that." I said. "But he was different."

I sat for a long time and finally let out a sigh.

"I.. I miss him." I wiped away a tear.

"Do you know where he is?" I posed a meek inquiry.

"Yes." The man nodded. "Katook is safe now." He told me.

"Oh Thank you!" I exclaimed as I threw my arms around this man and cried.

"Can I see him?" I asked after I settled a bit.

"A little later." He smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Green Memories:**_

San Wan came with Ranakah's shuttle to fly us back to our ship. On our last leg of the journey though, he told us we'd be flying over the University of Hopewell. I'm not sure exactly how this college got it's name; but I thought it was kind of catchy. Hope and do it well. We all needed more hope in our lives and though I wasn't exactly sure what this research study was totally about; I had been looking forward to spending some time there.

_Well, as they say I guess; the only sure thing in life is change!_

We sat quietly in the shuttle as San Wan zipped through the outer atmosphere to the other side of the planet. We were informed that the trip would take about two hours and I wondered about how it was that Ranakah flew this every day? That's a lot of commute. I thought to myself as I looked at the console panel. Apparently though, this shuttle bore the capacity for auto-pilot; in which Ranakah spent much of the time conversing over the planet's Inter-lock Com system in meetings with colleagues from the college.

I peered out the window at the bare surface beneath us. Savawarh was a planet with a good deal of red clay rock punctuated only by rivers, streams and giant bubble colonies. We passed over several bubbles; mostly containing green houses and crops.

San Wan had told us that his home planet of Aardat was very different. Aardat had bubble colonies too, but not because outside of the colonies was barren. No, the bubbles were to protect the Aardatians from the hostile animals that roamed the planet. Unlike Savawarh, Aardat had a tropical climate and was teeming with vegetation and wild animal life. It more resembled Earth of dinosaur era and like the Earth of the past; contained many animals that were for the most part - dinosaurs. The great creatures of Aardat though where quite different from those of Earth, in that most of them were primarily carnivorous. Thus the reason for the bubble colonies. Apparently the great creatures on Aardat found cognizant intelligent life to be rather tasty. Maybe that's why Aardatian men, among the creatures of lesser physical stature on their planet, could run so fast.

* * *

I sat quietly staring at the sand between my knees before I reached down and began twirling my finger in it. My squiggles and lines began to form faces and planets and ships. All memories of what was now gone. I wiped my had over my crude art project.

"That's been my life." I mumbled quietly to my desert friend.

"That is but the life of all." He responded as he gently laid his hands over my smeared drawing and scooped up the sand.

"But the Lord endures forever." I whispered as I poked at the "life" he now held.

"And He gives and takes away." I added as I squeezed out one handful of sand and let it run though my fingers back into that proverbial sea the refuses no river.

"But that's what eternal life is for." He reminded me. "That men not loose hope."

"Hope and faith." I peered up at him.

"Yes." He smiled. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for."

"And the evidence of things not seen." I completed his thought as I looked intently at him another moment or two. "So, even with all that I've lost? I don't need to loose hope, even if I can't see the end?"

"No, you don't." He let out a little chuckle; as the tears came dripping down my face.

"That's good." I whispered.

"That is my Father." He smiled. "And yours too."

I chuckled to myself in a bit of irony, as the memory of my first actual 'combat' mission came to mind. We were on a battle cruiser sent to rescue a troop transport that went down in the mountains of the northern quadrant of east hemisphere of Aardat. The transport was having navigational issues and crashed in the foothills of the Martonian province. We were rerouted to the scene to assist with the rescue efforts before the planet's wildlife ate all the clones barricaded inside the ship.

We all went in small fighter ships, flanked by stingray drone planes. It was quite a ride as we dove, banked and glided down to the surface; battle guns ablaze. I was on the aft port gun and by the time we'd landed the first sortie; I'd lost my lunch about 4 times.

We ended up docking by linking to the outside fuel coupling of the transport, because it was too dangerous to fly into the actual docking bay. Too much risk of the birds getting into the ship. Even so we ended up having to provide fire cover for the guys leaving, as they had to armor up and crawl through the rigging of the fuel couplings. It took hours to get all the 2000 or so men from the 143 Battalion out of the transport.

I flew six sorties on that rescue mission and man; if it's one thing I know - never crash on Aardat! Most everybody made it out, although we did loose four fighter planes and a couple dozen drones; a total of about 250 soldiers.

That was the first action I saw. I thought to myself as my mind chronicled all the battles I was in. A total of six missions our squad had been called to in the first two or so years since I'd left the cloning facility. So much death. I peered up at my friend one last time. What an ugly place we've turned your creation into. The thought floated by. Is there any good we've done? I began to wonder as I found myself desperately searching my memory. Than suddenly Ketura popped in there.

* * *

_**Earth's Intern:**_

One of the few young Earthling who'd gotten an internship on our battle cruiser; Keturah was a math genius working on some project with computer astro-metrics. She was 15 years old, and as I recall she; (or maybe more her parents for allowing her this internship in the first place) created quite a stir back on Earth. Her father had worked in Earth's Space Defense Command and was very familiar with how our army operated. He was perfectly confident of the safety of his daughter on a battle cruiser with three battalions of clones.

That was another unusual thing about this army. Interns and support staff came and went all the time on our ships. I chuckled when I recalled the looks on most of their faces when they got their tour of our ship. Especially when they'd come to the clone living quarters, which almost none of them ever had access too; (unless maybe they were medical personnel) but that's another story.

It was always fun to watch, when their tour wandered through our barrack hallways and they'd first learn there were ten of us in each room. There was usually one unoccupied space they got the chance to peer into. Talk about shock and awe. It was rather humourous. Most just couldn't understand how we lived the way we did; but since we primarily used these barrack rooms for sleeping, showering and storing our personal gear - it was never a big deal to us.

On these tours though, they usually got quite an education. Besides the barrack rooms, each hall contained a lounge, library room, extra toilet rooms and an exercise room. In each barrack room were bunks, storage drawers, over head storage, two showers, four toilets and four urinary L-coves.

There were also some miscellaneous things in our barrack rooms. The shower / toilet area contained laundry facilities and a storage locker for cleaning supplies. Besides this, there were small shelves for books or other such items on the wall, one desk with a computer, writing space and 10 cubbies; one for each of our personal papers. Not that we had that many personal papers but; there were guys in my squad who liked to draw or write music. Sanka liked to write stories and Mandell's cubbie was full of recipes. He often volunteered to pull duty in the mess hall, which we all appreciated, because Mandell knew how to cook!

We often got lots of questions and enchanted looks at our domestic lives. We'd finish day time work shifts between 4 and 6 PM, go eat and than head back to barracks. We'd clean things and get ready for the next day. We rotated laundry and Personal Hygiene room cleaning duty. One person was assigned to each and once everyone had finished their showers; "laundry man" would wash all the jump-suits and under-alls, while "Mr. clean" hit the PH room.

After that, we'd usually spend some free time either in a lounge, game room, exercise room or just wandering around the ship. I often found it intriguing how many support personal were so totally surprised by the number of libraries ships contained and how they were usually full of clones. Apparently, several hundred years ago; they'd cloned someone who liked to read!

Just as perplexing as the facilities on ship were; so also was what was obviously missing. There were no gambling or alcohol serving establishments, and nearly nothing related to sex. Clone soldiers don't get sexually transmitted diseases, have no need for birth control devices and even for non-cloned personal; pornography is absolutely forbidden. One certain advantage on a battlefield too; none of _**us**_ had ever been convicted of rape!

Most support persons on the ships usually found the absence of such things somewhat comforting. Especially on supply ships; which usually contained a large number of children; both of clones over 12 years old and families of non-clones. (Adolescent clones often got internships on supply vessels.) Depending upon the rules of their planets of origin; there can also be a fair amount of females of varying species on our combat ships. Most support personal came from the 9 planets of the Clone Army Planetary Confederation; but on occasion we did get other species too; human females included.

I remember when I first met Ketura. It was one evening in one of the main libraries. She was all the way in the back sitting next to a window, with of all things - a comic book in her lap. She was watching the stars go by.

"Oh hello." I said as I'd nearly stumbled over her, while I was headed back to where Katook was.

She looked up at me "Oh hi." she said.

I paused a minute as I recognized her fire red curly hair from the photo on the news report I'd seen several weeks back.

"You're that intern from Earth aren't you?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's me!" She giggled.

"Are you being homesick?" I inquired as she'd been staring wistfully out the window.

"Oh, I don't know maybe." She signed as I pulled up a piece of floor next to her.

"Space is a big place." I said as I too sat gazing out the window.

"Yeah it is." She replied as she turned and looked at me. "So what are you up to tonight?" She asked.

"Oh, my buddy Katook and I are going to be sent to Pantori in a couple of days to help them with some contaminated lake. We know almost absolutely nothing about that planet; so he's on the computer looking it up." I replied. "I found something in a Halo book about it." I added. "But not much."

She smiled at me.

"Oh by the way; I'm Nakahm." I introduced myself.

"I'm Katura." She responded as she held her hand out and I shook it.

"So how long have you been on our cruiser now?" I asked. "How are you liking the internship?"

"Oh it's been great!" She beamed. "I"ve been here three months; I've worked mostly with clones and not a one of you has hit on me!" She laughed.

I looked at her kind of funny.

"Oh never mind." She said. "It's not important."

Ok. I just shrugged.

"I like you guys." She smiled. "You are all well educated, extremely intelligent, and a little goofy sometimes." She laughed "But this is the best experience I've ever had."

I looked at her kind of strangely, as she let out a sigh.

"I went to Harvard at 12 years old." She started to explain. "I can't tell you how much crap I put up with. Lived in off campus housing with my mother." She sighed. "That wasn't too bad; but mom always had to run interference between me, the other students, some of the staff." She sighed again. "Don't get me wrong." She corrected herself. "Harvard is a great school and I'd encourage anyone who gets the chance; to go there. Socially though, it was a nightmare for me." She sat for a minute or two just gazing at me.

"I was the geek." She laughed again. "The nerd, the one everyone stared at all the time. Just like I'd see them stare at you guys on the rare occasion any of you'd ever come to the campus." A sudden spark of anger flashed across her face. "They'd whisper; Oh look there's one of them. The army with no balls!" She frowned sarcastically.

"What?" I cocked my head and looked at her.

"Testicles." She explained, as I still looked strangely at her.

"What, we have testicles." I said.

"Yeah I know." She started laughing. "Your's just don't control your brains!"

"Oh, hum?" I responded as I had to sit and think about that one a minute, while she leaned over and slapped me on the thigh.

Ok. I shrugged.

"See I can do that to you." She laughed again. "I could do that to every single one of you and I'd get exactly the same response." She said. "I even went in the pool of the main gym the other day. There must have been about 25 of you all in there swimming laps and not one of you so much as even looked at me." She continued. "Me and the other three alien chicks that were there." She chuckled. "Pool hours: open swim, clones and women only, all other males not allowed." She started laughing and I smiled, as I got her joke; although I knew the pool hours of the main gym don't really say that.

Ironically though, she wasn't too far off of the truth. There are hours for open swim and others designated to specific groups.

"Yeah, rules in that facility, I've found to be interesting." I smiled. "We can't just wear our under-alls in there. We have to put shorts on over them."

"Under-alls?" She looked at me. "Oh you mean those body suits you wear under the jump-suits, that are under your armor?" She laughed.

"Yes." I nodded.

"Yeah the guys in the pool were swimming in just that." She commented.

"I'm surprised they let you in there." I said as she cocked her head and looked at me.

"Why's that?" She asked.

"Well usually they only let certain species in with us during the clone time slot." I explained.

"Really? What's up with that? Doesn't someone cry discrimination?" She questioned.

"Well, If someone ever has cried discrimination; I've never heard about it." I shrugged. "They primarily posted hours though, because there are those who have a tendency to leer at _us_." I replied.

"Really!" She looked seriously at me. "You mean you guys get sexually harassed too?" She cringed.

"Yeah, if that's what you call it." I nodded.

She sat quietly for a long time. "Well maybe I owe you an apology than." She said. "For slapping you on the leg. If someone had done that to me; I'd be mad."

"No, it's ok." I said. "That doesn't make me uncomfortable. We clones that to each other all the time." I shrugged as she paused and looked at me again.

"Has anything ever happened to you that's made you... immensely uncomfortable?" She suddenly inquired. I sat for a minute.

"I don't know; I'd have to think about that." I responded.

"No-one's ever tried to touch you where they shouldn't; or anything like that?" She asked.

"No." I replied.

"Have you ever heard of another clone doing something like that?" She questioned.

"No." I answered. "We can be executed for fondling each other. Not that it matters; nobody has _that_ inclination period." I shrugged and let out a little chuckle.

"Really, wow." She looked at me. "I want to join your army." She giggled. "I feel safe here."

We sat quietly for a while. "Can I ask you a question?" I finally said.

"What?" Katura looked at me.

"Do bad things like that happen on Earth a lot?" I queried.

"You mean molestation?" She answered. "Yes." She looked down at her comic book.

"Did that happen to you?" I quietly inquired.

"Yeah." She sighed. "My uncle is in prison for trying to rape me when I was seven." She stopped suddenly and looked at me; than looked back at her comic book and took a deep breath.

"Sorry." I whispered. "Sorry that happened to you."

"I..I know nothing like that has ever happened to me, or anyone I know; but I've read things and I guess I can imagine - it's kind of like losing a buddy in a battle." I shrugged, albeit a bit indecisively.

She turned and looked at me. "Yeah it is." She said as the tears ran down her face. "It's exactly like losing a buddy in a battle; and coming out of it yourself with no legs."

We were quiet for another few minutes when Katook found us.

"Oh there you are?" He said to me as he paused and looked at Katura. "Hey, you're that intern." He observed.

"Yep, that's me." She giggled again.

"Well Katook did you find anything?" I inquired.

"A little bit; but not really." He replied. "I'm ready to call it a night. I'm tired of looking." Katook confessed as I let out a chuckle.

"Well OK. I'm hungry. You feel like a snack?" I asked.

"I guess so." Katook shrugged.

"Oh by the way; this is Katura." I introduced them. Katook waved.

"I'm Katook." He smiled.

I asked Katura if she wanted to come with us, she said sure; so we all headed down to one of the lounges that still served food.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Jake's Impromptu "Brief": **_

The place was pretty full, as the evening crew was just getting off and the night crew just coming in before starting work. We took our places in a line behind a few other clones and soon walked out with sandwiches and flavored water. We'd only been sitting a few minutes when some human male came walking over to our table smiling at Katura. He sat down and introduced himself to her, seemingly trying to make polite small talk. Another man saw them and came scurrying over. Katura took one look at both of them, got up and squeezed herself between Katook and I. Ok, we both just sort of giggled and shrugged as we moved over a bit.

"Hey man!" The second guy said to the first as he sat down real quick. "You'd better watch out, or you're gonna get yourself in deep shit!" He warned the other as he glanced over at us three and attempted to subtlety point at Katura. _(He wasn't really that subtle though.)_ "She's 15." He whispered.

The first man gave the other a strange look and than eyed me, as Katura had drifted closer and now was embracing my arm. "And he's not?" He cocked his head in my direction a couple of times. The second man looked at us.

"Oh, no, no." He began to protest before he stopped mid-sentence and suddenly popped out with a question. "Have you been briefed yet?" He asked the other man.

"Briefed?" He made another face. "I just boarded this afternoon." The first said.

"Ah ha!" The second replied through a forced smile. "Well man, I'll give you the low down!" He said with a sigh as he looked at the three of us. "Shit where do I begin?" He mumbled under his breath. "Can ya help me out?" He made a funny face at me. "He aint been... _**briefed.**_ He don't know how things... _**work**_... around here." He said through another forced smile and than took in a deep breath. "How do I explain you guys to him." He exhaled.

"We need explaining?" Katook looked at me and grinned.

"Yeah, I guess so." I glanced back at him as I took a minute to ponder the situation before I gave an answer. "Briefing hum?" I thought a minute as I looked at the two men across the table; who seemed to me to be civilian contractors.

"Yeah!" The second man made a nervous face. "Explanation meaning, you've been permanently fixed so you don't run around everywhere trying to make clone babies?" He finally blurted out.

"What?" The first looked rather curiously at him and than at us.

"Just what he said!" I responded.

"Make baby clones?" The first made a face that now bordered on a mix of bewilderment and irritation.

"No." Katook broke in. "Not baby clones, clone babies. Baby clones are another subject altogether; but we don't make those either!" Katook said really seriously; and than suddenly smiled. The second man started laughing so hard he just about fell off his chair.

"He gets clone jokes; he _**has**_ been around here too long." I said to Katook.

The first one glared at us. "What the hell are you talking about?" He started to sound angry. Katook stood up, immediately ready to act if need be; while the second man struggled to quickly compose himself.

"Hey, hey, hey." He hastily interjected as he guided the newbie back into his seat. "Believe me man, you don't want to pick a fight with a clone. Even if they don't... well, eh - you know." He whispered as he twirled his finger in the air and a grin escaped. "But!" He made a face and cut his hand across his neck. "He definitely capable of kickin yer ass." He smiled as he nervously patted the other's shoulder and than sat down himself.

"Them?" the first whispered as his eyes drifted our way and he watched Katook sit down.

"Yeah them." The second made a face. "That's why their cloned, you know... _**clone army.**_" The second whispered. "They don't... eh, because they're cloned and they're cloned because they don't... eh, you know." He smiled.

There was a real long pause as the first man's visage of anger started to melt into a combination of confusion and horror. "Nothin?" He inquired with one raised eyebrow.

"Nope!" His companion responded.

"You shittin me! Right?" The first asked.

"Nope!" Came the answer.

The first man didn't respond; but just glared at the second. It was real quiet for another real long pause. "Ouch!" He finally whispered as he glanced at us and peered back to the second. "All of 'em?" He inquired in yet another whisper.

"The whole army." The second whispered back.

"Damn!" The first mumbled.

Several more minutes passed and the second man had struck up a conversation with me when the first turned around. He took a deep breath and looked at Katura.

"Are you really 15?" He finally asked.

"Yes!" She answered.

"This is a battle cruiser; what the hell you doin on here?" He inquired.

"Intern." The second man answered. "This girl's like a math braniac!" He continued. "She was in the news; oh couple months ago. There was a big stink back home about putting this 15 year old girl on a battle cruiser with 3000 clones." He chuckled. "People back on Earth don't know shit!" He laughed again. "Damn man, you could stick her in their barracks and she'd be safer there than in her highschool!" He shook his head.

"This gotta be your first time on one of these ships!" The second man uttered to the first. "By the way; name's Brian!" He stuck his hand out.

"Ah, I'm Jake." The other responded.

Brian leaned over and looked at our collars. "Don't know who you are; but I know her name is Katura. You guys are consecutive batch numbers though." He said to us.

Jake sat up and turned around. "What's that mean?" He looked at Brian.

"They grew up together." Brian answered. "Don't recognize the numbers though; some of ya'all wear name tags. Hint! Hint!" He said to us as we both chuckled.

"I'm Nakahm and he's Katook." I introduced us.

"How ya tell each other apart?" Jake inquired.

"You around long enough; you'll be able to tell." Brian answered. "The guys I work with all the time; I can tell who's who."

"Hum?" Jake looked at us all, a bit puzzled.

"OK, so what's the low down?" Jake finally asked after a bit of a pause. "Give me the briefing. Apparently I don't know _enough_." He mumbled as he glanced around the room.

"Yeah, oh OK." Brian chuckled. "Here's the deal." He said as he scanned the horizon himself. "Ok, don't know how long you're gonna be here, but if you're lookin for a girlfriend?" Brian sucked in a big breath. "The short little orange dudes." He searched for an Aardatian. "The red people that look like they got a shell on their heads and the blue dudes with the fins. They all life long monogamous; only interested in their own species, so don't even bother with them man. The big tall ones with the funny faces and the green ones; skip them too. Not anatomically compatible." Brian mumbled under his breath.

"And the chicks that hang out with the clones." Brian hesitantly looked at the three of us. "There's a message there." He said. "Platonic relationships only! Besides especially on the supply ships; most of them are underage" Brian paused a minute. "And clones are safe." He whispered, as he sat up and browsed the horizon once more. "Other than that!" He concluded. "Everyone else is fair game!" He grinned at Jake and than glanced back at us. "Oh!" He quickly corrected himself. "Well, except them guys!"

Jake glared at Brian, than let out a disgusted grunt. "That's repulsive man! What do you think I am anyways?" He growled as he gave Brian a shove.

"Hey well; ya never know?" Brian grinned. "Really though, there's a lesson to be learned in that too. This planetary confederacy is really protective of their army." He went on to explain. "And something you do just as a joke; gotta be careful." He paused his words of wisdom a minute. "Watch who's airspace you're in too; because the laws of that planet apply and some of them got some really, _**really**_ strict rules." Brian added.

"Strict?" Jake peered at Brian. "How strict? Do I want to know?"

"Depends on how long you wanna spend in the brig?" Brian started to laugh. "There was one dude on the last supply ship I was on." Brian lunched into a story. "After the briefing; he like didn't believe them. I don't remember what planet he was from, but he was a little messed up in the head." Brian twirled his finger in the air.

"Well anyways." He continued. "We were in one of the training rooms. These guys do combat training in there. There's like mats on the floor everywhere. Well sometimes we go in and watch them, because it's pretty wild. They armor up all the way and go beat the living crap out of each other." Brian paused a minute with a chuckle.

"This freaky alien dude I was tellin you about. He was in there and got up to leave. I was sitting there watching these two soldiers doing handstands and shit like that. These guys can bend. Wait till you see it. You won't believe it till you see it." Brian let out a little giggle.

"Anyways. One dude was standing on his hands and the other guy's holding one of his legs. They got communicators in their helmets and I think someone said something to the one, so he turned around.

Well, when he did that; this shit-headed alien walks by and cops a feel on this clone!" Brian bursts out laughing. "I just caught it out of the corner of my eye and I'm thinking to myself; What that...? He didn't just do what I think he did - did he? What is this guy high? That is so messed up!" Brian concluded as Katook and I just looked at each other and cringed.

"Why?" We chorused as both our companions stopped and looked at us.

"You do _**that**_ all the time too?" Jake asked.

"Yeah." We chorused again.

Jake just let out a sigh.

"You get used to it." Brian waved his concern away.

"Damn, I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to this place!"

"Well?" Brian bellowed as he clapped his hands together and gave them a hearty rub. "Next space port is Jazambane if you wanna... _get off..._ there?"

Jake peered at Brian. "Maybe I will." He mumbled under his breath. "Gotta be more exciting than this... _**monastery**_!"

"Yeah, I'm sure it would be!" I commented as we all started laughing.

"Well that all depends on what kind of excitement you're looking for?" Ketura broke in.

"Yeah, I know a particular touchy feely alien you could sit in the brig with!" Brian joked as he slapped Jake on the back. "You can keep him company for the next 15 years."

"What?" Jake made a funny face. "You talking about the guy that grabbed the clone?"

"Yep!" Brian nodded. "That dude got like 4 Jazambane years in jail for that; which is something like 15 to 20 Earth years. So I hope he really enjoyed his momentary oooh - yeah, because man, it definitely won't no cheap thrill!" Brian let out another hearty bellow. "I don't care how ripped you think these guys are; no clone's package is that attractive!" Brian howled as he slapped the table.

"Ripped?" I looked at Katook.

"Package!" He shrugged and than started to snicker.

"Colorful metaphors." Katura dryly observed.

"Look man!" Brian sat up and leaned over toward us. "You guys probably don't realize this because ya see it every day; all that genetic engineering and crap." His eyes flashed and he smiled as he leveled his hand over the table. "But do you know what some of the rest of us would give to have bodies that look like yours! You damn near perfect specimens of human physiology! You!" Brian winked as he leaned over the table and gave me a playful shove.

"And what a shame to think, that not even the chicks get a piece of that!" Brian smiled as he patted my face. "Life's so unfair. Oh, they are so right when they say this army is full of ironic contradictions!" He chuckled.

"But than again, I suppose that if you're gonna genetically engineer a military; you aint gonna clone short, fat dudes that can't fight!" Brian sat back and grinned as we all let out a little chuckle.

Jake smirked too as he sat up and looked at us. "But than why'd they like... fix you? I don't get it?" He inquired.

"Well look at 'em man!" Brian broke in. "You think if they could..." He paused a minute, glanced at us and than looked directly at Jake. "They wouldn't all go AWOL?"

"So is that the reason?" Jake shook his head, as he suddenly launched back into 'the briefing' of the laws that govern our army. "I mean what's up with this planetary confederation?" He queried. "They really throw that alien in jail for 20 years because he grabbed some clone?" Jake suddenly looked a little sick as he surveyed the lot of us and momentarily rested his eyes on Katura.

"Are you really serious?" He asked as he turned back to Brian. "You're not shittin me on that one; are ya?"

"Nope!" Brian shook his head. "Jazambane commonly executes people for what they deem as sex crimes. He's lucky they didn't fry him!" Brian paused again while his words sank in.

Jake looked at the three of us. "That true?" He inquired.

"In Jazambane space; yes." Katura answered. "I visited that planet; their laws are very severe"

Katook and I just shrugged. "Don't know really." I said. "We don't usually get off the ship when we're there."

Jake sat again for a while before he inquired of any more information anyone may have had about Jazambane law that would be to his behoovement to know. "So what was their reasoning?" He asked. "Why'd they give that dude such a severe sentence?"

"They briefed us civilians after the guy was sent to jail." Brian went on to explain. "Get this; according to their laws - clones are actually considered non-consenting!" Brian made a funny face and winked.

"What?" Jake's jaw just about hit the floor. "They can't consent to sex?" He inquired. "Why not; I mean they are adults, right? Can't you all decide for yourselves?" They both glanced at us.

"What's there to decide if there's no desire?" Katook responded with a shrug. "Why do something you don't have a want for?"

Jake just sat there staring at us.

"Yeah, clones are very interesting." Brian added.

"Sorry guys - not mean to be taking like ya aint sittin here." Jake apologized.

"It's OK." I said. "Most people who come on these ships don't know much about us, till they get here. We sometimes consume many hours answering questions." I explained.

"We're kinda used to it now." Katook shrugged again.

"Yeah, their pretty cool about stuff." Brian said. "They are very well tempered. If you piss a clone off; you really did something serious man!" Brian chuckled before he continued to explain the 'freaky alien's' sentence.

"Well according to Jazambane law. Clones have the sexual developmental level of like a ten year old. Which is probably true." Brian mumbled under his breath. "Sorry guys." He made another funny face. Katook and I both smiled and shrugged again.

"Well anyways." Brian went on. "They explained it to us as: because they're development has been arrested at a certain stage in life; they are considered developmentally disabled in that realm, even though cognitively and according to biological age; they're not. So if you mess with someone who can't consent; than your sentence is more severe." Brian paused.

"So what's age of consent?" Jake broke in again.

"Depends on where you are and what species you're dealing with. Most these planets; the human age is 18; Jazambane it's 21! That is unless you're 18 or over and legally married back on Earth."

"21?" Jake looked funny at Brian.

"Yeah." Brian chuckled. "They go by when your average individual of that species is considered fully grown and you probably didn't know that was 21 did you?" Brian smiled.

"Nope." Jake shook his head.

"Yeah." Brian concurred. "These guys don't enter the military fleet until they are 21 either and that's why." He gestured at us.

"That's another interesting tid bit of information I didn't find out until recently too." Brian leaned back resting his elbows on the table and turned toward Jake. "Even clones in the same batch don't grow at a consistent rate. You can have five 19 year old clones, all the same batch, had come out of the initial incubation chambers the same day and they all different heights!" Brian chuckled. "But by the time they get here though; they all something like 5ft 10" and 175 pounds." He turned around and looked at us.

"Did I get that right?" He queried.

"Sounds about right." Katook and I nodded.

"We can vary in weight somewhat; but we are usually between 170 and 180. Unless we're sick or something." I added.

"So how old are you guys really?" Jake turned to us. "Don't they stick you in some sort of accelerated growth chamber or something? I mean I'm sure they don't actually wait 21 years for you guys to grow up literally."

"Yeah they do." Brian chuckled.

"No, actually they haven't used accelerated growth chambers in hundreds of years." I explained. "There were too many things that went wrong with it. They found the best thing was to just let us grow up at a normal rate. Accelerated physical growth doesn't compensate for experience or mental maturity. A ten year old running around on a battlefield isn't a good thing; even if they're in a twenty year old's body!"

"Hum. Well, I guess that would be true." Jake acceded.

"So who takes care of all the young clones?" Jake posed another question.

"We do." Katook answered.

Jake sat up and looked at us. "You all have child care duty too?" He made a strange face.

"Yep!" Brian laughed. "This is a very... _**unique **_army!" He added. "These guys are actually very good with little kids."

"Shit!" Jake mumbled as Katook and I chuckled.

"Now you know why maintaining this force is so expensive." Brian said to Jake. "Besides the technology; weapons, ships, medical and scientific advancement: we're actually supporting a whole clone army society. They don't get paid and they don't ever really retire either; but the best of any military goods and services in this known galactic allegiance is provided for them." Brian smiled as he turned around and looked at us.

"This Planetary Confederation takes very good care of these guys. Matter of fact they take very good care of anyone on one of these cruisers." Brian turned to Jake. "The stuff on this ship works, it's well designed, efficient and the food's pretty good too." He laughed.

"It aint a bad life. That's if you can deal with their laws!" Brian smiled.

"Yeah, well that's the thing. Some of them laws are pretty messed up." Jake broke in. "Like the ones that sent that dude to jail for 15 years!"

"Well, I didn't write those laws." Brian grinned. "But after being around these guys for a couple of years or so; I kinda get it." Brian sighed. "I can see how they'd be appealing to predators."

Katook and I sat for a minute pondering what Brian meant about us being enticing to predators. I'd assumed he intended people who'd want to do us harm, as in the same realm Katura had experienced with her uncle. I didn't quite understand what exactly would make us so desirable? I glanced over at Katook who looked to be asking himself the same question. Before I got the chance to ask Brian though; the two of them had gotten up and left.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Where the Darks of Society Hide:**_

We exited the lounge a few minutes later and walked Katura back to the quadrant of the ship where her living quarters were. She paused a minute before walking through the security check point and asked us if we would be willing to stop by the nearest library for a minute as she had something she said she wanted to ask us before we left.

Well Ok. I just shrugged as it seemed she still wanted to talk.

So we snaked our way back down the hall to the nearest entrance of the medical library. When we went inside; Katura walked all the way back to the last empty study room. Katook and I glanced at each other one last time before we went inside and she closed the door. Katura looked at both of us and sighed.

We all stood there for what seemed like 10 minutes or so before Katura finally spoke up.

"OK" She said. "Here's the deal. If it's OK with you guys." She began to get strait to the point. "I have a little experiment I want to try with one;" She paused a minute. "Or even both of you." She said.

We stood there a few more moments, feeling a bit adhesive of all this; before I answered.

"Well, maybe? What is it? I'm not going to do anything that's going to get me in trouble." I said.

"Me either." Katook nodded too.

Katura stood for a long time just contemplating us. "Yeah, you're right." She finally concluded. "Although it'd be me that would really be the one in trouble. So don't worry about it. Bad idea!"

Katook and I looked at each other and than back at Katura.

"Why? What'd you want?" Katook asked.

Katura let out one long sigh and folded her arms. "Well OK." She said. "I'll tell you what happened once and I was just curious to see what you guys would do?" She began to explain. "Back some time last year; before I even applied for this internship; my father had a couple of clone officers he'd brought home with him one evening. I guess they were suppose to be leaving the next day and the hotel was full; I don't know." She went on.

"Well they were down stairs watching the late night show, news or something; when I went down to get something to drink. One of them was still awake and I sat and talked to him for a while; sort of like I'd talked to you Nakahm." Katura sighed.

"He was kind and listened to my troubles of teenage woe; I guess. He was so intrigued with my life, since his was so different. And so when I was done and went to go to bed; I gave him a hug. He seemed to be OK with that; but than I tried to kiss him and he wouldn't let me. He said it would be OK if I kissed him on the side of the face or forehead or something of the like manner, but that clones don't kiss people; any other way than that." Katura let out another sigh and than looked long and hard at us.

"Is that true?" She suspiciously inquired.

"Yeah." We both nodded.

"Wow." She said.

Katura stood for several more long minutes evidently happy to behold us.

"Can I try anyways?" She smiled rather innocently.

"No." We both shook our heads.

"Oh... darn!" She giggled. "I think you guys are darling." She whispered a reluctant admission as she pulled out a chair, sat down and put her head on the table.

"Darling!" I started to giggle myself. "I haven't heard that since I was four. Come here darling!" I clapped my hands together and held my arms out to Katook, while wiggling my fingers like he was some little child.

"OK!" He exclaimed in a wee voice as he took a couple of steps and leaped into my arms. We all started laughing as I almost dropped him on the floor. "Now I know why we don't use accelerated growth chambers any more." I commented and rather dryly at that.

"The 175 pound toddler is an issue huh?" Katook smiled as I dropped his feet to the deck.

"You guys are so... cleanly funny!" Katura nearly laughed herself into hysteria. "Sorry, I'm a little embarrassed." She confessed to the table.

We both chuckled a little as we took a seat across from her.

"I guess I'm glad you guys said no though." She spoke as she sat up. "It'd probably be the end of my internship if you hadn't."

"You know when I first got here; so many of you that all look, sound and basically act the same, kinda freaked me out." She continued. "It sort of felt like dealing with 'the army' was like dealing with one person; and vice versa. The longer I'm here though, I start to see how unique you all are." She laughed.

"I've witnessed some pretty amazing things. I've watched you work together. You're very task orientated and I'm amazed how efficient you all are, because there's very little fighting. It's funny, it's kind of like a competition to see who's the most cooperative." Katura giggled.

"And any idea I've had." She added. "People have actually listened to me." She smiled again. "And if my idea was more productive than any of their's; they went with it!" She proudly contributed.

"It's strange though. I've seen the dark side of all this too." Katura sighed after a bit of a pause. "I watched one clone reprogram a whole computer network. He sat there for four hours; got the job done, but cried through the whole thing? It's like he had two brains; I don't know how he did it? I've seen that happen more than once." Katura looked at us as if she was searching for an answer.

Katook smiled. "I've done that." He confessed.

"So have I." I admitted too, while Katura sat a little awestruck.

"When he was done, they sent him to medical. When he returned 3 days later, he was better; but still not quite right." She said. "Is that common with all of you?" She inquired. "Do you all have a tendency to get so depressed?"

Katook and I just smiled. "That's one of this army's dirty little secrets; I guess." I said. "We are all on anti-depressants."

Katura looked at us for another several minutes. "That's weird. Why is that? Do they know? Do you guys know?" She finally asked.

"Something in our genetic makeup I suppose." Katook answered.

"Hum." Katura nodded and made a funny face.

"I'm not so sure." She went on. "But I have noticed one thing. I know you guys have all been fixed and all that; and so I don't think this has anything to do with sex or anything like that, but I've seen clones become rather jealous and possessive of other clones."

Katook and I started to giggle. "Yeah, we've seen that too." We both acknowledged.

"That's usually an indication that someone's supplements need to be adjusted." I laughed.

"No." Katura shook her head. "I don't think it's that at all." She continued to expound upon her theory. "I think it's because one's afraid something is going to happen to his batch buddy. You display great valor on the battlefield, but really you're all terrified of dying." She looked sadly at us. "You're afraid of being alone and afraid of what's going to happen to the guy you leave behind. Yeah, 'if you feel alone, there's always another clone'; but that principle only works in theory. In all honesty, you are just as destitute in side as all the rest of us!"

The three of us just sat there for a real long time before any one said or did anything. No outsider I'd ever met, with maybe the exception of San Wan; had ever admitted to me their own empty desperation. So many had just attributed our melancholy as being evidence of something missing, defective or deficient in our being. The 'clones have no soul' cliche'. It never seemed to me, that anyone had reasoned why we got this way; was precisely the opposite of what they'd just always assumed. Maybe the fact that I did feel so empty all the time, was evidence that I really did have a soul? After all, how could I ache so much if I really had no capacity to ache with? So much of my life seemed to be exactly what they said. Ironic contradictions.

Well before too much longer, Katura got up. She took a deep breath, walked around the table and looked at us one last time before saying "Good night." She leaned over, kissed us on our foreheads, turned and walked out of the room.

We never saw her again after that. Two weeks later, her internship ended abruptly when she'd come down with the Horopian flu; a dangerous strand of influenza that has caused deadly pandemics on certain planets. For what ever reason though clones seem to be immune to it; even though most other species on the ships are not.

No-one could figure where she'd contracted this, since our battle cruiser had gone nowhere near any sites of outbreak in the time she was aboard. The sudden and unusually rapid onset of her illness though, was believed to have saved thousands of lives as this made it easy to identify the flu strand before anyone else became sick.

As it turns out, the point of infection was found to be one evening she's spent in a lounge with a couple of soldiers. She'd mistakenly drank out of one of their cups. Medical nabbed both of us and quarantined us for a week till they could render the virus we carried impotent.

Katura though, died three days later.

* * *

I glanced up at my desert friend. I wanted so badly to ask if she just might be around here somewhere? I didn't have the heart though.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

"Yes, I know." He whispered back.

"I didn't mean to kill her." I cried. "Just like so many others I wish I hadn't killed?" I mumbled quietly.

"Soldiers carry a special burden." He replied.

I just looked up at him.

"You were never in an army, were you?" I asked.

"Not an Earthy one." He answered.

"Yet even with all the evil around; it says you take no pleasure in the death of the wicked?" I confirmed.

"Yes, you are correct." He nodded.

"I think I get that?" I mumbled as my eyes drifted toward the ground again and I wiped a few more tears away. "How many times it should have been me."

"Yes, you are correct there too." He confirmed a truth I knew to be accurate, although really wished I somehow had the power to change. "But God so loved the world." He continued.

"A world He didn't have to." I looked up at him.

"Yes, a world He didn't have to." He smiled at me. "But God is..."

"Love!" I concluded.

He simply nodded in confirmation.

We sat there for a long, long...long time.

How many had I lost? My mind began to stir as the memories came flooding in. Twisted knots, explosions and the eerie pop of wrenching metal. I could smell the vehicle's coolant as we ran for our lives. Anther explosion and the smell of exhaust and burnt flesh. Withering cries for help filled the suddenly silent air. There was no earthly hell like that of a battlefield.

I was suddenly jolted back into consciousness as I stared at my mysterious...brother? The face I'd seen staring down at me from two heavy planked boards that had been bound together. A face bloody and swollen, two empty eyes piercing the soul I still wondered if I had? I raised my bayonet and jutted it into his side. The first gush of blood spirted onto my face. I shook my head as I stood and watched. It ran down my weapon, onto my hands and down my arms. I gave my rifle and unceremonious yank. The body slid a bit as it lopped over to one side; still held by the spikes my own hands had driven into it. The whole world had grown menacingly dark. That ominous day had come and I just stood there waiting. Waiting for the wrath I knew I deserved.

I shook my head and snapped out of the place I'd just been. Those eyes were still sitting watching me.

"What did it feel like?" I mumbled. "What was the fist thing you saw?" I wondered out loud.

"The light." He answered. "The first thing I saw was the light, when the angel rolled the stone away."

"For the joy that was set before you." I mumbled.

"Yes." He laughed.

"Did you bounce off the walls of the tomb." My silly question slipped out.

"Well, not exactly." He giggled. "But almost."

"I'm... I'm sorry." I whispered.

He just smiled at me.

"I'm not." He whispered back.


	10. Chapter 10

_**No Greater Love:**_

Our shuttle was nearing a bubble docking bay when my thoughts turned from Katura to the goings on in the bubble beneath us. I was relieved to have something to distract me as thinking of Katura and the Horopian flu just made me very sad. I wondered how Katook was doing with it, seeing how either of us could have been the one who'd inadvertently given it to her.

We'd spent several weeks talking about this following the incident it's-self, when we finally come to some resolution in knowing it wasn't really our fault. Even though neither of us knew we carried this flu strain; we still felt badly. I guess in the end, at least some good came out of this tragedy; as our medical personal learned much more about the Horopian flu than was known previously and it saved many lives. Katura's parents too told us the same thing and thanked both of us for caring for her so well that evening. They said we'd given her the gift of genuine love.

I thought about this for a long time as we all began to process through the docking and into the city. I looked down at all the people in the streets below us. I'd always struggled with that question of what did I really know of love? What did that look like from a vibrant soul and a healthy heart? Had I found what it was San Wan had always said God offered in the greatest love ever given? A love that gives of it's-self for the sake of another's well being. Like befriending a lonely intern in a library.

I let out a sigh as I could hear Katook and Sentury chattering in profuse excitement of all the goings on in the city below. Japah had long since fallen asleep and it seemed Katook and Sentury had taken to buddying up for this trip, as they'd spent most of it talking about all the things they wanted to see. Well that would be fun. I thought to myself as I smiled at their galvanized laughter.

It was always good to see Katook happy; although I knew and even dreaded the fact that his down swing would leave him just as frantic on the other end of the mood spectrum as his up side. Katook did that often, back and forth between debilitating depression and frenzied euphoria. There were times he'd be up for three days strait and than sleep for the next two. I knew something wasn't right, although he'd always managed to work this idiosyncracy of his to his advantage. He'd pull duty shifts for three days so as no-one seemed to mind much if he slept the next couple.

This came to our company commander's attention one day though just before a mission. We were getting ready to engage hostilities between the Frontorie and Zaheed because the truce had broken down and one had invaded the other's nation state. We don't usually get involved in planetary conflicts like this, but the Zaheed guarded mineral mines of the Planetary Allegiance that were now being threatened.

Well, during the briefing Katook couldn't sit still and keep quiet. He'd gotten all worked up about this mission and became irrational in his thought processes as to what he was capable of doing. The memory stuck in my head a minute. Yeah, I guess the Lieutenant was right; episodes of mania are real bad news on a battlefield. So just before we deployed, our unit commander told me to take Katook to medical.

Well I'd never seen Katook really get angry before, but that day he blew a gasket. When he started swinging at me, the rest of our squad tackled him and called for emergency medical transport. Katook spent about 4 days in the brig while authorities investigated his violent incident and interviewed everyone in our squad. After that, he was transferred to a medical lock down facility where he spent the next three weeks being treated for something they called duel mood dysfunction disorder. It was something I'd never heard of before; but the doctors said was very common on earth several hundred years ago. How ever it was that Katook ended up with this syndrome is beyond me. The doctors reassured me though that they'd seen this in other clones and it was quite treatable.

Katook came back far more stable than he was before, but something about him was forever changed. He didn't seem like the Katook I knew. He was far less animated and cheerful. More serious and sullen than the buddy I remember growing up with. He also became much more needy of my attendance, as he often just wanted to sit next to me and rest his head on my shoulder. I didn't mind though, as it seemed something in me too was really needing to be close to him. I missed him a lot when he was in the lock down and I suppose maybe we were just happy to see each other.

We were both monitored very closely for several weeks following his return. I suppose just to make sure we remained emotionally stable and weren't starting to get demoralizing ideas. I guess they say that sometimes happens. It wasn't an issue with us though. We finally adjusted to life back together in the battalion and things got more 'back to normal'. Katook still had mood swings, but they weren't hardly as severe as they'd been that fateful day before the mission.

Biting tinges of concern began to seep back as I watched Katook become quite excited over something he was seeing on the ground. He had unbuckled himself and squeezed between Sentury and the window frantically pointing to the city below.

"Katook sit down and put your seat belt back on!" I heard San Wan order from the front of the shuttle as Katook quickly scurried back to his chair and strapped himself in.

He was still all in a stir, as he leaned over Sentury and kept pointing out the window. Sentury looked over at me and smiled knowingly, as he looped Katook's curly hair around his fingers and patted his back. Katook seemed oblivious, even though it was clear to us that he was probably headed for another intervention.

I let out a sigh as I watched Sentury play with Katook's hair a few more minutes while he quietly encouraged Katook to be still and wait till we landed. This was always difficult for Katook; as he recognized the methods often used to placate his exuberance consisted of soothing words and calming hands that reigned in his attention by steadily wiping his face, as if they could wipe the madness away. Too bad the affect was never permanent.

Katook immediately hushed, as he settled back into his seat and quickly turned around to look at me. He seemed a bit disorientated and unsure of what had just happened, when he realized it was Sentury and not I; for I am the one who usually does this to him. He turned and looked at Sentury, who just gently put his finger to his lips. "Shhh." He said.

Katook sat totally subdued for the next twenty minutes till we landed.

"Come on." Sentury nudged him as the shuttle doors opened and we all began to disembark. Japah too was still a bit non-coherent as he sat up, stretched and looked around.

"Oh, we're here!" He announced in a voice that was less than under-enthusiastic.

"Well, good morning sunshine!" I started to laugh.

"Nakahm." Japah looked at me, after it took a minute or two for my comment to sink in.

"What?" I smiled.

"Shut up!" He said.

San Wan led the way as we all grabbed our gear and followed, almost single file behind him. Japah sleepily stumbled along after Katook, as I fell back a bit to where Sentury was. We walked along several more paces before I glanced back at Sentury.

"What's wrong Nakahm?" He asked as I struggled to come up with the words. I kept thinking of what Katura had said about jealous and possessive clones and I didn't have the courage at the moment to tell Sentury that what he'd done to Katook made _me_ uncomfortable. No, that seemed too petty and unreasonable, since although Katook was my batch partner; I certainly didn't consider him my property!

"I don't know." I finally sighed. "I think I'm just a little concerned about Katook."

"Yeah, well I know what you mean." Sentury started to giggle.

"I hope he didn't take me too seriously when we were training the other day and I.." Sentury paused a moment. "I took his comment about getting laid in a new direction!"

We both started to laugh.

"Yeah, not by you." I reiterated Katook's response.

"Yeah, believe me - not by me! Ick." Sentury shuttered.

"Well that's good to know." I mumbled, half not thinking as to what I'd just said.

"Nakahm!" Sentury punched me in the back. "What are you sick?"

"Ouch! No, sorry man; I didn't mean it like that!" I apologized to Sentury as I lay on the ground rubbing my shoulder. Sentury stopped a minute to help me up.

"You're worried about them taking him away from you again; aren't you?" Sentury stated as he pulled me to my feet. "You don't want any body to take him away from you. That's why you said what you did." He looked at me as he picked up my back pack and handed it over.

"I'm not one of those jealous, possessive clones!" I countered.

"No, no." Sentury corrected me. "Jealousy is selfish. It takes; it doesn't give. You'd die for Katook. That's not jealousy - that's love!"

I stood there a minute as Sentury started to walk away.

"Come on Nakahm!" He called out behind him as he motioned for me to hurry and catch up. I only stood there a minute or two while the truth of what Sentury said sunk in. No greater love has a man, than he lay down his life for a friend. I remember a passage San Wan recently pointed out to Katook while we were all sitting at the table one evening. Maybe clone love is real love? What ever that means? I thought to myself as I hastened after Sentury.

_**Little did I realize at that time - war was about to test my theory! **_

All the battles bled together crimson in my memory. Detached from me like watching one very long movie through the lense of a camera; but I guess that's the way traumatic memory formulates it's presence in our brains. At least that's what I'd heard in the sessions at the trauma survivors hospital on Aardat. There were times I had to stop and ask myself - Did that really happen? Yeah, I guess it did; I'd always come to conclude when I'd look at the scars on my body and the scars on the expressions of my fellow inpatients' faces. If it weren't for that evidence living out before my daily life - I'd still wonder.

Strange how it all works like that; memories and all - that is. The happy ones, funny and sad ones; all punctuated by flashes of grizzly mutilated bodies, smoke, bombs and the smell of sulfur and rotting flesh. They don't make me sad or want to scream any longer. No, it's strange. Those images are accompanied by no more than a wall of mental numbness.

I remember getting through "combat sequences" that way. Just pretending I was in a movie and one day this would all be over. I'd either survive it and go on to live what ever semblance of "real life" there was left, or I'd get killed. Simple, uncomplicated by the feelings of fear and dread I'd just pretend weren't there. I'll deal with it later in some psych hospital. The morbid thought would run through my mind. Right now though, I just feel compelled to stay alive. So I get up and run, shoot at the guy who's shooting at me and dive into a trench, a hole or behind the wall of some burned out building. The same monotony played out in scene after scene of my life as a combat soldier. Yes, the surroundings would change and the sequence of the action I'd perform; but it was all the same in the end. New war, different movie, same role.

The noise and the smell eventually did get to me. The war...war(s) seeped into the events of every day life. Someone would slam a door, a vehicle engine would backfire or a simple fire works display would rattle my nerves raw. One way or the other, the war had a desperate need to makes it's-self known. So it did. Sometimes it was embarrassing. Idiots who didn't know any better would laugh; but old men and creatures of certain planets though would just stand and watch. I'd glance over at them and they'd simply nod. Been there, done that myself; all their faces said. It's all their faces needed to say. There's nothing new under the sun!

"Do you remember being crucified?" I posed a stupid question to my timeless comrade.

"Of course I do." He smiled understandingly.

"Does it still feel like it never happened?" I asked.

"Well, there's absolutely no way of erasing the weight of judgement." He replied.

"Yeah, that's true." I mumbled in acknowledgment of my complete cluelessness. "War really isn't hell is it?"

"No it's not." He only shook his head. "It's not even a preview either."

I just glanced up at him and cracked a smile. Thank You. I wanted to say, but it seemed my flesh was in too much of a stupor to respond. After all, what words do you utter when words just aren't enough. Well, I guess that's simple. I thought to myself. You utter nothing.

_**Yes, no greater love has a man than he lay down his life for a friend. **_

_**Whether that's just physically or rather the choice to endure wrath for another. **_

_**No greater love has **__**any**__** man! **_


	11. Chapter 11

_**End Game:**_

"Well," He smiled as he stood up in the sudden brilliance of a pure light I'd never seen before. "Seems to me it's that time." He laughed in mournful joy as he raised his arms into the air and cried out into the light. "I'm ready." He whispered.

"JESUS!" I suddenly sprung to my feet.

He only turned and looked at me as his arms dropped to his sides.

I stood looking so seriously at him, as the very air around me seemed to quiver with...terror?

"Is it... time?" I squeaked out in quiet assurance.

"Yes, it is." He calmly replied as I could see the solemness of the moment in his eyes.

"What happens now?" I whispered.

"You'll hear the trumpet." He simply answered.

"And then it's over." I cocked my head and looked at him as the revelation seeped through my entire existence.

He only nodded.

I smiled at him as the floodgates of years of waiting burst forth. Mixed feelings and memories of my life and... all of time, flashed before my eyes. I wailed in joy and pain, but mostly in relief as I fell on my face.

* * *

The trumpets reverberated through the universe; of the worlds God had created and the one He'd died for. Yes, that one world of redemption, filled with millions I'd never seen and on some level wasn't even aware they existed. I pushed myself to my hands and knees and finally to sitting on my legs, as I just waited and watched; held by the Word of God in suspended animation... somewhere?

The angels were enchanting, beautiful and horrible at the same time. They poured forth from the piercing light of the highest heaven, flooding all the corners of the nether world below. The very space we all seemed to occupy melted away from our existence. The hot winds of spacelessness folded in around us and I could feel myself moving with the entirety of the host of heaven.

My attention was immediately drawn to Christ before me. Creation's Lord and Redeemer who led the charge to lay hold of the final visage of His once good universe that had waited so patiently mired in death's curse until this very moment.

I smiled... and cried...and laughed.

I watched the bodies rise from their graves and the dead all assembling before us. Some, barely to consciousness - suddenly translated in their moment, in their twinkling of an eye. One of those bodies must be mine. The thought passed through my sense as I could feel the force of those surpassing me on their journey to be joined to the souls they'd been severed from - and in some cases millennia ago.

And before I realized it...


End file.
